An ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna architecture method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digitally controlled antenna system and its reconstruction method, comprising: multiple antenna feed sources, each operating in a different frequency band, for generating electromagnetic waves and irradiating antenna subarrays; multiple antenna subarrays, forming a distributed interconnected layout, each comprising multiple antenna elements and an antenna subarray processing module; the antenna elements comprising an antenna element driving unit and an antenna element radiating unit, each comprising a liquid metal fluid pipeline and a digitally electrically controlled radiating structure, the driving unit being configured to adjust the liquid metal filling volume within the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digitally electrically controlled radiating structure; the antenna subarray processing module being configured to calculate the expected value of the state of the antenna element radiating unit according to a radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction, and to generate a control signal based on the measured and expected value of the state, which is sent to the antenna element driving unit. The present invention can achieve ultra-wideband antenna reconstruction, high-precision scanning of the antenna beam, and rapid dynamic agility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to an ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna architecture method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, channel resources are becoming increasingly scarce. Modern communication technologies place higher demands on wideband, high-speed, and high-capacity communication systems. Antennas, as core functional components for access to various wireless transceiver terminals and compatible access to various communication links, determine communication link speed, transmission distance, and frequency band coverage. To fully utilize limited channel resources and improve the integration of communication platform antennas, research is currently developing reconfigurable antennas, which can reconfigure their operating parameters in real time based on signal transmission requirements.

[0003] Traditional reconfigurable antennas typically utilize adjustable circuit elements or variable materials, such as micro-electromechanical devices (MEMS), liquid crystals, varactor diodes, and graphene, loaded onto the antenna radiator. These antennas are reconfigured through external voltage adjustment, force adjustment, mechanical stretching, or rotation. These reconfigurable antennas and their reconfiguration methods often suffer from poor flexibility, strong nonlinearity, and low power handling.

[0004] Due to the advantages of liquid metal, such as its high fluidity and excellent conductivity, its application in reconfigurable antenna design can impart a plasticity not possessed by traditional solid metal antennas. Compared to traditional solid metal antennas, the excellent fluidity of liquid metal antennas allows for a wider range of physical shape reconfiguration, thereby achieving a wider frequency reconfiguration range, enabling ultra-wideband and multi-functional antenna reconfiguration, and ensuring that the antenna can meet the diverse RF signal transmission and reception requirements of satellite platforms. For this reason, the design of liquid metal antennas has become a new research hotspot in the antenna field in recent years.

[0005] The paper "RESHAPE: A Liquid Metal-Based Reshapable Aperture for Compound Frequency, Pattern, and Polarization Reconfiguration," published in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, describes a single-feed-point planar reconfigurable liquid metal antenna. By encapsulating a liquid metal gallium-indium alloy in a flexible, retractable tube and using an external motor to stretch the tube to change the length of the liquid metal, the antenna achieves broadband reconfiguration of the operating frequency from 2.45 to 6.5 GHz and achieves ±45° scanning of the antenna radiation pattern. However, due to the relatively slow deformation rate of the liquid metal, its dynamic beam scanning is subject to significant speed constraints.

[0006] The paper "AFrequency-and Polarization-Reconfigurable Slot Antenna Using Liquid Metal," published in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, describes a reconfigurable liquid metal slot antenna using microfluidic technology. Using a microsyringe to drive the filling and emptying of liquid metal in a microfluidic channel, the antenna's linear polarization operating frequency can be adjusted within the 2.3-3 GHz range, and its circular polarization operating frequency can be adjusted within the 2-2.28 GHz range. However, due to the limited filling and emptying rates of the liquid metal channel, the reconfiguration time is limited to minutes.

[0007] Most of the liquid metal antennas currently disclosed achieve antenna frequency, polarization, and radiation pattern reconstruction through liquid metal filling and reconstruction. Specifically, liquid metal guide grooves are reserved in the dielectric material pipeline, and the physical form is changed by the flow of liquid metal. However, the slow fluid flow rate significantly restricts the phase control speed of the antenna array element. Limited by the second-level physical deformation time delay of liquid metal, it is difficult to achieve dynamic scanning of the array beam with ultra-wideband coverage, which makes it difficult to meet the needs of microsecond-level radiation pattern agility of communication antennas, greatly limiting its usage scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In order to solve some or all of the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention provides an ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system and a reconstruction method thereof.

[0009] The technical solutions of the present invention are as follows:

[0010] In a first aspect, an ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system is provided, the antenna system comprising:

[0011] Antenna feed sources are provided, and the plurality of antenna feed sources respectively operate in different frequency bands and are used to generate electromagnetic waves and irradiate the antenna subarrays;

[0012] The antenna subarray is provided with a plurality of antenna subarrays, and the plurality of antenna subarrays form a distributed interconnected layout. The antenna subarray includes an antenna array element and an antenna subarray processing module. The antenna array element is provided with a plurality of antenna array elements, and the plurality of antenna array elements are respectively connected to the antenna subarray processing module;

[0013] The antenna array element includes an antenna array element driving unit and an antenna array element radiating unit connected to each other, the antenna array element radiating unit including a liquid metal fluid pipeline and a digital electronically controlled radiating structure, the antenna array element driving unit being configured to adjust the amount of liquid metal filled in the liquid metal fluid pipeline to adjust the antenna radiation frequency, and to adjust the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiating structure to achieve ultra-wideband phase modulation of the antenna according to a received control signal;

[0014] The antenna subarray processing module is capable of being communicatively connected with adjacent antenna subarrays and with external devices. The antenna subarray processing module is used to measure the state of the antenna array element radiating unit, calculate the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit based on the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction received from the external device and the state information from other antenna subarrays, generate a control signal based on the measured value and the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit and send it to the antenna array element driving unit, and send the state of the antenna array element radiating unit to the other antenna subarrays connected thereto. The state of the antenna array element radiating unit includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digitally electrically controlled radiation structure.

[0015] In some optional implementations, the antenna subarray processing module includes: an antenna subarray calculation unit, an antenna subarray control unit, and an antenna subarray sensing unit;

[0016] The antenna subarray calculation unit is provided with a plurality of communication interfaces. The antenna subarray calculation unit can be respectively communicatively connected with the adjacent antenna subarrays and external devices through the plurality of communication interfaces. The antenna subarray calculation unit is configured to calculate an expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit based on a radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction received from an external device and status information from other antenna subarrays, generate a control instruction based on the received measured value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit and the calculated expected value, and send the control instruction to the antenna subarray control unit, and send the state of the antenna array element radiating unit to the other antenna subarrays connected thereto.

[0017] The antenna subarray control unit is connected to the antenna subarray computing unit and the antenna array element driving unit respectively. The antenna subarray control unit is used to analyze and process control instructions received from the antenna subarray computing unit, determine a control signal corresponding to the liquid metal fluid pipeline and a control signal corresponding to the digital electronically controlled radiation structure, and send the control signal to the antenna array element driving unit.

[0018] The antenna subarray sensing unit is connected to the antenna subarray calculation unit and the antenna array element radiation unit respectively. The antenna subarray sensing unit is used to measure the status of the antenna array element radiation unit and send the measured status information to the antenna subarray calculation unit.

[0019] In some optional embodiments, the antenna subarray computing unit includes: a router and an information processing subunit;

[0020] The router is respectively connected to the plurality of communication interfaces of the antenna subarray computing unit, and the router is used for information forwarding;

[0021] The information processing subunit is connected to the router, the antenna subarray control unit and the antenna subarray sensing unit respectively. The information processing subunit is used to use a preset power consumption-time distributed optimization model to calculate and process the radiation characteristic reconstruction instructions received from the external device and the status information from other antenna subarrays to obtain the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit, and generate a control instruction based on the received measured value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit and the calculated expected value and send it to the antenna subarray control unit, and is used to send the state of the antenna array element radiation unit to the other antenna subarrays connected to it through the router and the communication interface.

[0022] In some optional embodiments, the antenna subarray control unit includes: a liquid metal flow field PID controller, a liquid metal electric field PID controller, and a bias voltage controller;

[0023] The liquid metal flow field PID controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to enable liquid metal to flow into the liquid metal fluid pipeline or liquid metal to flow out of the liquid metal fluid pipeline. The liquid metal electric field PID controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to adjust the position of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline. The bias voltage controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to adjust the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure.

[0024] In some optional embodiments, the antenna subarray sensing unit includes: a liquid metal displacement measurement circuit and a PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit;

[0025] The liquid metal displacement measurement circuit is connected to the antenna subarray computing unit and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and is used to measure the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and send the measurement information to the antenna subarray computing unit;

[0026] The PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit is connected to the antenna subarray calculation unit and the digital electrically controlled radiation structure respectively. The PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit is used to measure the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure and send the measurement information to the antenna subarray calculation unit.

[0027] In some optional embodiments, the antenna array element driving unit includes: a liquid metal driving subunit and a PIN diode driving circuit;

[0028] The liquid metal driving subunit is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and the liquid metal driving subunit adjusts the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline according to the received control signal;

[0029] The PIN diode driving circuit is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the digital electrically controlled radiating structure respectively, and the PIN diode driving circuit adjusts the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiating structure according to a received control signal.

[0030] In some optional embodiments, the liquid metal driving subunit includes: a flow field actuator and an electric field actuator;

[0031] The flow field actuator is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and is used to drive the liquid metal in the liquid storage capsule to flow into the liquid metal fluid pipeline or drive the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline to flow into the liquid storage capsule;

[0032] The electric field actuator is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and the electric field actuator is used to adjust the position of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline.

[0033] In some optional embodiments, there are four antenna feed sources, and the four antenna feed sources operate in the L band, S band, C band and X band respectively;

[0034] There are 16 antenna subarrays, and the 16 antenna subarrays form a 4×4 distributed interconnection layout.

[0035] In some optional embodiments, the antenna subarray includes four different types of antenna array element radiation units: type 1 antenna array element radiation unit, type 2 antenna array element radiation unit, type 3 antenna array element radiation unit, and type 4 antenna array element radiation unit. The type 1 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the L band, the type 2 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the S band, the type 3 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the C band, and the type 4 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the X band.

[0036] In a second aspect, a reconstruction method for the ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system is also provided, the reconstruction method comprising:

[0037] The antenna subarray processing module measures the status of the antenna array element radiation unit in real time, and receives in real time a radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction sent by an external device and status information sent by other antenna subarrays. The status of the antenna array element radiation unit includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure;

[0038] The antenna subarray processing module calculates an expected value of a state of the antenna array element radiation unit according to the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction and other state information of the antenna subarray, and generates a control signal according to the measured value and the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit and sends the control signal to the antenna array element driving unit;

[0039] The antenna array element driving unit adjusts the filling amount of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline according to the received control signal to adjust the antenna radiation frequency, and adjusts the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure to achieve ultra-wideband phase modulation of the antenna;

[0040] The antenna subarray processing module measures the state of the adjusted antenna array element radiation unit, and sends the state information of the antenna array element radiation unit to the other antenna subarrays connected thereto;

[0041] The status information sent by the other antenna sub-arrays includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline in the other antenna sub-arrays and the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure.

[0042] The main advantages of the technical solution of the present invention are as follows:

[0043] The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system and reconstruction method of the present invention integrate the design and control of the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the digital electrically controlled radiation structure. The physical form reconstruction control of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline can realize the ultra-wideband reconstruction of the antenna and the continuous adjustment of the antenna frequency. The digital reconstruction of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure can realize high-precision scanning and rapid dynamic agility of the antenna beam, and realize multi-frequency and multi-beam concurrency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention and constitute a part of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0045] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of an ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 2 A structural block diagram of an antenna subarray provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 3 A structural block diagram of another antenna subarray provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 4 A structural block diagram of an antenna array element provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 5 A structural block diagram of another antenna array element provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 6 A flowchart of a reconstruction method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments of the present invention and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] refer to Figure 1-2 An embodiment of the present invention provides an ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system, the ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system comprising:

[0054] Antenna feed sources are provided, and the multiple antenna feed sources operate in different frequency bands and are used to generate electromagnetic waves and irradiate the antenna sub-arrays;

[0055] There are multiple antenna subarrays, and the multiple antenna subarrays form a distributed interconnected layout. The antenna subarray includes antenna array elements and antenna subarray processing modules. There are multiple antenna array elements, and the multiple antenna array elements are respectively connected to the antenna subarray processing modules;

[0056] The antenna array element includes an antenna array element driving unit and an antenna array element radiating unit connected to each other. The antenna array element radiating unit includes a liquid metal fluid pipeline and a digital electronically controlled radiating structure. The antenna array element driving unit is used to adjust the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline according to a received control signal to adjust the antenna radiation frequency, and to adjust the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiating structure to achieve ultra-wideband phase modulation of the antenna.

[0057] The antenna subarray processing module is capable of communicating with adjacent antenna subarrays and with external devices. The antenna subarray processing module is used to measure the state of the antenna array element radiating unit, calculate the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit based on the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction received from the external device and the state information from other antenna subarrays, generate a control signal based on the measured value and expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit and send it to the antenna array element driving unit, and send the state of the antenna array element radiating unit to other antenna subarrays connected to it.

[0058] It should be noted that the distributed interconnection layout means that each antenna subarray is connected to its adjacent antenna subarrays.

[0059] It should be noted that the state of the antenna array element radiation unit includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure.

[0060] It should be noted that the status information sent by other antenna sub-arrays includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline in the other antenna sub-arrays and the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present invention, when the ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system is actually used, the antenna subarray processing module in the antenna system is connected to the antenna platform. When the ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system needs to be reconfigured, a radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction is sent to the antenna subarray processing module through the antenna platform. The antenna subarray processing module measures the state of the antenna array element radiation unit in real time, and receives the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction sent by the antenna platform and the state information sent by other antenna subarrays in real time. The expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit is calculated based on the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction and the state information of other antenna subarrays, and a control signal is generated based on the measured value and expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit and sent to the antenna array element driving unit; the antenna array element driving unit adjusts the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline according to the received control signal to adjust the antenna radiation frequency, and adjusts the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure to realize ultra-wideband phase modulation of the antenna, thereby realizing dynamic reconstruction of the antenna frequency and radiation pattern of the ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system. In addition, after completing the adjustment of the antenna array element radiation unit, the antenna subarray processing module measures the status of the adjusted antenna array element radiation unit and sends the status information of the antenna array element radiation unit to other antenna subarrays connected thereto.

[0062] The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system provided by the embodiment of the present invention integrates the design and control of the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the digital electrically controlled radiation structure. The physical form reconstruction control of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline can realize the ultra-wideband reconstruction of the antenna and the continuous adjustment of the antenna frequency. The digital reconstruction of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure can realize high-precision scanning and rapid dynamic agility of the antenna beam, and realize multi-frequency and multi-beam concurrency.

[0063] Furthermore, in one implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna subarray processing module may adjust the state of the antenna array element radiating unit to a desired value in a feedback adjustment manner according to the measured value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit.

[0064] refer to Figure 3 ,Further, in one implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna subarray processing module includes: an antenna subarray calculation unit, an antenna subarray control unit and an antenna subarray sensing unit;

[0065] The antenna subarray calculation unit is provided with multiple communication interfaces. The antenna subarray calculation unit can be respectively connected to adjacent antenna subarrays and external devices through the multiple communication interfaces. The antenna subarray calculation unit is used to calculate the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit based on the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction received from the external device and the state information from other antenna subarrays, and to generate a control instruction based on the received measured value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit and the calculated expected value and send it to the antenna subarray control unit. The antenna subarray calculation unit is also used to send the state of the antenna array element radiation unit to other antenna subarrays connected to it.

[0066] The antenna subarray control unit is connected to the antenna subarray computing unit and the antenna array element driving unit respectively. The antenna subarray control unit is used to analyze and process the control instructions received from the antenna subarray computing unit, determine the control signal corresponding to the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the control signal corresponding to the digital electronically controlled radiation structure, and send the control signal to the antenna array element driving unit;

[0067] The antenna subarray sensing unit is connected to the antenna subarray calculation unit and the antenna array element radiation unit respectively. The antenna subarray sensing unit is used to measure the status of the antenna array element radiation unit and send the measured status information to the antenna subarray calculation unit.

[0068] In an embodiment of the present invention, by setting different units to perform information interaction processing, status information measurement, and control information analysis and processing respectively, the independence of different processing processes can be achieved, the processing accuracy and processing efficiency can be improved, and the reconstruction efficiency and reconstruction accuracy of the antenna system can be improved.

[0069] refer to Figure 3 ,Further, in one implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna subarray computing unit includes: a router and an information processing subunit;

[0070] The router is respectively connected to multiple communication interfaces of the antenna subarray computing unit, and the router is used for information forwarding;

[0071] The information processing subunit is connected to the router, the antenna subarray control unit and the antenna subarray sensing unit respectively. The information processing subunit is used to use a preset power consumption-time distributed optimization model to calculate and process the radiation characteristic reconstruction instructions received from the external device and the status information from other antenna subarrays, obtain the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit, and generate a control instruction based on the received measured value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit and the calculated expected value and send it to the antenna subarray control unit, and is used to send the status of the antenna array element radiation unit to other antenna subarrays connected to it through the router and the communication interface.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present invention, a large-scale array element control model is established and converted into a power consumption-time hybrid optimization problem. The liquid metal coordinated control with minimum power consumption under time constraints is completed according to a distributed dynamic task scheduling method with bidirectional time-varying information interaction, and the corresponding power consumption-time distributed optimization model is determined.

[0073] refer to Figure 3 ,Further, in one implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna subarray control unit includes: a liquid metal flow field PID controller, a liquid metal electric field PID controller and a bias voltage controller;

[0074] The liquid metal flow field PID controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to enable liquid metal to flow into the liquid metal fluid pipeline or liquid metal to flow out of the liquid metal fluid pipeline. The liquid metal electric field PID controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to adjust the position of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline. The bias voltage controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to adjust the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure.

[0075] In an embodiment of the present invention, by setting a liquid metal flow field PID controller, a liquid metal electric field PID controller and a bias voltage controller to respectively adjust and control different state parameters of the antenna array element radiation unit, the reconstruction efficiency and reconstruction accuracy of the antenna system can be further improved.

[0076] refer to Figure 3 ,Further, in one implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna subarray sensing unit includes: a liquid metal displacement measurement circuit and a PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit;

[0077] The liquid metal displacement measurement circuit is connected to the antenna subarray calculation unit and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively. The liquid metal displacement measurement circuit is used to measure the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and send the measurement information to the antenna subarray calculation unit;

[0078] The PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit is connected to the antenna subarray calculation unit and the digital electronically controlled radiation structure respectively. The PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit is used to measure the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure and send the measurement information to the antenna subarray calculation unit.

[0079] In an embodiment of the present invention, a liquid metal displacement measurement circuit adopts a conductive fluid resistance measurement device and measurement method. By applying measuring electrodes at both ends of the liquid metal fluid pipeline, after applying an external excitation electrical signal, the current and voltage at both ends of the liquid metal to be measured are collected, the corresponding equivalent impedance value is calculated, and the actual length of the liquid metal in the pipeline is reversely solved; the PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit adopts a measurement method based on resistance sampling, and a precision resistor is connected in parallel to the voltage output port. The bias voltage is obtained by measuring the current flowing through the precision resistor and multiplying it by the precision resistance value.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present invention, by setting up a liquid metal displacement measurement circuit and a PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit to independently measure the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure, the measurement accuracy can be guaranteed, and the reconstruction accuracy of the antenna system can be further guaranteed.

[0081] refer to Figure 4 ,Further, in one implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the antenna array element driving unit includes: a liquid metal driving subunit and a PIN diode driving circuit;

[0082] The liquid metal driving subunit is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and the liquid metal driving subunit adjusts the filling amount of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline according to the received control signal;

[0083] The PIN diode driving circuit is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the digital electronically controlled radiating structure respectively. The PIN diode driving circuit adjusts the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiating structure according to the received control signal.

[0084] In the embodiment of the present invention, positive and negative voltage bias signals are applied by the PIN diode driving circuit, and the PIN diode can be in the on or off state at different times, thereby achieving ultra-wideband phase control of 0° to 180°.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present invention, by setting a liquid metal driving subunit and a PIN diode driving circuit to respectively adjust and control the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure, the reconstruction efficiency and reconstruction accuracy of the antenna system can be further improved.

[0086] refer to Figure 5 ,Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the liquid metal driving subunit includes: a flow field actuator and an electric field actuator;

[0087] The flow field actuator is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and is used to drive the liquid metal in the liquid storage capsule to flow into the liquid metal fluid pipeline or drive the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline to flow into the liquid storage capsule;

[0088] The electric field actuator is connected to the antenna sub-array processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and the electric field actuator is used to adjust the position of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline.

[0089] In an embodiment of the present invention, the flow field actuator realizes the inflow and outflow control of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline based on the electromagnetic pump method, and pushes the liquid metal forward or backward to the desired position in the liquid metal fluid pipeline through the forward or reverse rotation of the fan blades in the pump; the electric field actuator realizes the fine adjustment of the position of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline based on the electrode method, and finely controls the displacement position of the liquid metal after the flow field actuator completes the action by applying forward or reverse voltage to the driving electrode.

[0090] It should be noted that, in an embodiment of the present invention, when the antenna array element driving unit includes: a liquid metal driving subunit and a PIN diode driving circuit, and the liquid metal driving subunit includes: a flow field actuator and an electric field actuator, the liquid metal flow field PID controller is connected to the flow field actuator, the liquid metal electric field PID controller is connected to the electric field actuator, and the bias voltage controller is connected to the PIN diode driving circuit; the liquid metal flow field PID controller controls the flow field actuator to realize the control of liquid metal flowing into the liquid metal fluid pipeline or liquid metal flowing out of the liquid metal fluid pipeline, the liquid metal electric field PID controller controls the electric field actuator to realize the adjustment of the position of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline, and the bias voltage controller controls the bias voltage of the PIN diode in the PIN diode driving circuit, thereby realizing the conduction and closing of the PIN diode, so as to realize the adjustment of the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure.

[0091] Furthermore, in one implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, four antenna feed sources are provided, and the four antenna feed sources operate in the L band, S band, C band, and X band respectively;

[0092] There are 16 antenna subarrays, and the 16 antenna subarrays form a 4×4 distributed interconnection layout.

[0093] It should be noted that the L-band, S-band, C-band and X-band refer to the frequency ranges of electromagnetic waves. The frequency range of the L-band is 1 to 2 GHz, the frequency range of the S-band is 2 to 4 GHz, the frequency range of the C-band is 4 to 8 GHz, and the frequency range of the X-band is 8 to 12 GHz.

[0094] It should be noted that the 4×4 distributed interconnection layout means that 16 antenna subarrays form a 4×4 square array layout, and each antenna subarray is connected to its adjacent antenna subarray.

[0095] By setting up four antenna feeds that work in the L-band, S-band, C-band and X-band respectively, ultra-wideband coverage of the 1-12 GHz frequency band can be achieved.

[0096] Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the antenna subarray includes four different types of antenna array element radiation units, namely, type 1 antenna array element radiation unit, type 2 antenna array element radiation unit, type 3 antenna array element radiation unit and type 4 antenna array element radiation unit. The type 1 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the L band, the type 2 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the S band, the type 3 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the C band, and the type 4 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the X band.

[0097] In an embodiment of the present invention, each antenna subarray may be provided with a plurality of type 1 antenna array element radiating units, a plurality of type 2 antenna array element radiating units, a plurality of type 3 antenna array element radiating units, and a plurality of type 4 antenna array element radiating units. The specific number of each type of antenna array element radiating units is set according to actual needs. For example, two type 1 antenna array element radiating units, four type 2 antenna array element radiating units, 32 type 3 antenna array element radiating units, and 64 type 4 antenna array element radiating units may be provided.

[0098] In an embodiment of the present invention, when arranging different types of antenna array element radiating units in an antenna subarray, based on the sizes of different types of antenna array element radiating units and on the principle of minimum interference shielding between antenna array element radiating units, four types of antenna array element radiating units are arranged in a nested periodic expansion array manner using vertical height differences, and interference-free arrangement of the four types of antenna array element radiating units is achieved through a staggered design.

[0099] refer to Figure 6 The embodiment of the present invention further provides a reconstruction method for the above-mentioned ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system, the reconstruction method comprising the following steps:

[0100] Step 1: The antenna subarray processing module measures the status of the antenna array element radiation unit in real time, and receives radiation characteristic reconstruction instructions sent by external devices and status information sent by other antenna subarrays in real time. The status of the antenna array element radiation unit includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure;

[0101] Step 2: The antenna subarray processing module calculates the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit based on the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction and other antenna subarray status information, and generates a control signal based on the measured value and expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit and sends it to the antenna array element driving unit;

[0102] Step 3: The antenna array element driving unit adjusts the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline according to the received control signal to adjust the antenna radiation frequency, and adjusts the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure to achieve ultra-wideband phase modulation of the antenna;

[0103] Step 4: The antenna subarray processing module measures the status of the adjusted antenna array element radiation unit and sends the status information of the antenna array element radiation unit to other antenna subarrays connected thereto.

[0104] The reconstruction method of the ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system provided by the embodiment of the present invention integrates the control of the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the digital electrically controlled radiation structure. The physical form reconstruction control of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline can realize the ultra-wide frequency band reconstruction of the antenna and the continuous adjustment of the antenna frequency. The digital reconstruction of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure can realize high-precision scanning and rapid dynamic agility of the antenna beam, and realize multi-frequency and multi-beam concurrency.

[0105] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In addition, "front", "back", "left", "right", "upper" and "lower" in this document are all referenced to the placement states shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0106] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system, characterized in that: include: Antenna feed sources are provided, and the plurality of antenna feed sources respectively operate in different frequency bands and are used to generate electromagnetic waves and irradiate the antenna subarrays; The antenna subarray is provided with a plurality of antenna subarrays, and the plurality of antenna subarrays form a distributed interconnected layout. The antenna subarray includes an antenna array element and an antenna subarray processing module. The antenna array element is provided with a plurality of antenna array elements, and the plurality of antenna array elements are respectively connected to the antenna subarray processing module; The antenna array element includes an antenna array element driving unit and an antenna array element radiating unit connected to each other, the antenna array element radiating unit including a liquid metal fluid pipeline and a digital electronically controlled radiating structure, the antenna array element driving unit being configured to adjust the amount of liquid metal filled in the liquid metal fluid pipeline to adjust the antenna radiation frequency, and to adjust the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiating structure to achieve ultra-wideband phase modulation of the antenna according to a received control signal; The antenna subarray processing module is capable of being communicatively connected with adjacent antenna subarrays and with external devices. The antenna subarray processing module is used to measure the state of the antenna array element radiating unit, calculate the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit based on the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction received from the external device and the state information from other antenna subarrays, generate a control signal based on the measured value and the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit and send it to the antenna array element driving unit, and send the state of the antenna array element radiating unit to the other antenna subarrays connected thereto. The state of the antenna array element radiating unit includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digitally electrically controlled radiation structure.

2. The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The antenna subarray processing module includes: an antenna subarray calculation unit, an antenna subarray control unit and an antenna subarray sensing unit; The antenna subarray calculation unit is provided with a plurality of communication interfaces. The antenna subarray calculation unit can be respectively communicatively connected with the adjacent antenna subarrays and external devices through the plurality of communication interfaces. The antenna subarray calculation unit is configured to calculate an expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit based on a radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction received from an external device and status information from other antenna subarrays, generate a control instruction based on the received measured value of the state of the antenna array element radiating unit and the calculated expected value, and send the control instruction to the antenna subarray control unit, and send the state of the antenna array element radiating unit to the other antenna subarrays connected thereto. The antenna subarray control unit is connected to the antenna subarray computing unit and the antenna array element driving unit respectively. The antenna subarray control unit is used to analyze and process control instructions received from the antenna subarray computing unit, determine a control signal corresponding to the liquid metal fluid pipeline and a control signal corresponding to the digital electronically controlled radiation structure, and send the control signal to the antenna array element driving unit. The antenna subarray sensing unit is connected to the antenna subarray calculation unit and the antenna array element radiation unit respectively. The antenna subarray sensing unit is used to measure the status of the antenna array element radiation unit and send the measured status information to the antenna subarray calculation unit.

3. The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The antenna subarray computing unit includes: a router and an information processing subunit; The router is respectively connected to the plurality of communication interfaces of the antenna subarray computing unit, and the router is used for information forwarding; The information processing subunit is connected to the router, the antenna subarray control unit and the antenna subarray sensing unit respectively. The information processing subunit is used to use a preset power consumption-time distributed optimization model to calculate and process the radiation characteristic reconstruction instructions received from the external device and the status information from other antenna subarrays to obtain the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit, and generate a control instruction based on the received measured value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit and the calculated expected value and send it to the antenna subarray control unit, and is used to send the state of the antenna array element radiation unit to the other antenna subarrays connected to it through the router and the communication interface.

4. The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The antenna subarray control unit includes: a liquid metal flow field PID controller, a liquid metal electric field PID controller and a bias voltage controller; The liquid metal flow field PID controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to enable liquid metal to flow into the liquid metal fluid pipeline or liquid metal to flow out of the liquid metal fluid pipeline. The liquid metal electric field PID controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to adjust the position of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline. The bias voltage controller is used to control the antenna array element driving component to adjust the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure.

5. The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The antenna subarray sensing unit includes: a liquid metal displacement measurement circuit and a PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit; The liquid metal displacement measurement circuit is connected to the antenna subarray computing unit and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and is used to measure the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and send the measurement information to the antenna subarray computing unit; The PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit is connected to the antenna subarray calculation unit and the digital electrically controlled radiation structure respectively. The PIN diode bias voltage measurement circuit is used to measure the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiation structure and send the measurement information to the antenna subarray calculation unit.

6. The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The antenna array element driving unit includes: a liquid metal driving subunit and a PIN diode driving circuit; The liquid metal driving subunit is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and the liquid metal driving subunit adjusts the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline according to the received control signal; The PIN diode driving circuit is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the digital electrically controlled radiating structure respectively, and the PIN diode driving circuit adjusts the bias voltage of the digital electrically controlled radiating structure according to a received control signal.

7. The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The liquid metal driving subunit includes: a flow field actuator and an electric field actuator; The flow field actuator is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and is used to drive the liquid metal in the liquid storage capsule to flow into the liquid metal fluid pipeline or drive the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline to flow into the liquid storage capsule; The electric field actuator is connected to the antenna subarray processing module and the liquid metal fluid pipeline respectively, and the electric field actuator is used to adjust the position of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline.

8. The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are four antenna feed sources, and the four antenna feed sources operate in L band, S band, C band and X band respectively; There are 16 antenna subarrays, and the 16 antenna subarrays form a 4×4 distributed interconnection layout.

9. The ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The antenna subarray includes four different types of antenna array element radiation units: type 1 antenna array element radiation unit, type 2 antenna array element radiation unit, type 3 antenna array element radiation unit and type 4 antenna array element radiation unit. The type 1 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the L band, the type 2 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the S band, the type 3 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the C band, and the type 4 antenna array element radiation unit operates in the X band.

10. A method for reconfiguring an ultra-wideband reconfigurable liquid metal digital control antenna system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The reconstruction method includes: The antenna subarray processing module measures the status of the antenna array element radiation unit in real time, and receives in real time a radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction sent by an external device and status information sent by other antenna subarrays. The status of the antenna array element radiation unit includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline and the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure; The antenna subarray processing module calculates an expected value of a state of the antenna array element radiation unit according to the radiation characteristic reconstruction instruction and other state information of the antenna subarray, and generates a control signal according to the measured value and the expected value of the state of the antenna array element radiation unit and sends the control signal to the antenna array element driving unit; The antenna array element driving unit adjusts the filling amount of the liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline according to the received control signal to adjust the antenna radiation frequency, and adjusts the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure to achieve ultra-wideband phase modulation of the antenna; The antenna subarray processing module measures the state of the adjusted antenna array element radiation unit, and sends the state information of the antenna array element radiation unit to the other antenna subarrays connected thereto; The status information sent by the other antenna sub-arrays includes: the filling amount of liquid metal in the liquid metal fluid pipeline in the other antenna sub-arrays and the bias voltage of the digital electronically controlled radiation structure.

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