A large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna

Abstract

The application discloses a large-scale splicable multi-frequency-band multi-beam phased array antenna, and belongs to the technical field of satellite application phased array antennas. The phased array antenna comprises four frequency bands and three array surfaces in total, wherein two array surfaces are regularly arranged with unit arrays, and one array surface is arranged with double-frequency-band unit sparse mixed arrays; two independent antenna beams can be formed in each frequency band. The basic structure of each array surface comprises a passive antenna array surface, a multi-channel TR assembly, a thermal control structure, a comprehensive network, subarray wave control and a power supply, an integrated array power supply, integrated array comprehensive control, an integrated array feed network, a frequency converter and the like. Longitudinal layering and vertical interconnection are adopted between the modules, so that the structure is compact and the integration degree is high. The application can be used as a unit subarray, has the characteristics of one-dimensional splicing expansion in the short edge direction of the subarray, and can be flexibly combined according to requirements to form multiple beams with different capabilities.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna, belonging to the technical field of satellite application phased array antennas. Background Art

[0002] Parabolic antennas are currently the most common antenna type in satellite applications. With the continuous increase in my country's satellite resources, the need to fully utilize them requires that satellite antennas have increasingly larger apertures to meet the demand for higher information transmission capabilities. Furthermore, the number of satellite antennas required is increasing to meet the demands of simultaneous multi-tasking and multi-link operations. However, the limited space on carrier platforms limits the number of antennas that can be mounted, inevitably restricting the explosive growth in satellite application demand.

[0003] Phased array antennas have the advantages of flexible and controllable beams and high reliability, and have been widely used in the field of radar detection. At the same time, phased array antennas have the ability to simultaneously transmit multiple beams with the same aperture. After targeted design, multiple frequency bands can also be integrated into one antenna device, replacing the original multiple traditional parabolic antennas, greatly reducing the installation space required for antenna equipment. Moreover, since the phased array antenna can be designed conformally with the carrier platform, the carrier platform RCS can be greatly reduced, thereby improving the vitality of the weapon platform.

[0004] When phased array antennas replace large-aperture parabolic antennas, if traditional phased array antenna design methods are used, problems such as large antenna array dimensions and heavy weight, long equipment installation, erection, and debugging cycles, and inconvenient transportation will arise. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a large-scale, splicable multi-band, multi-beam phased array antenna. It adopts two methods: regular periodic arrangement of units and mixed sparse array. It can directly replace multiple traditional parabolic antennas and has the ability to expand its capabilities in the future through sub-array splicing. It has broad engineering application prospects.

[0006] The technical solutions adopted in the present invention are as follows:

[0007] A large-scale, splicable, multi-band, multi-beam phased array antenna comprises three array faces located in the same plane, two of which are regularly periodically arranged with units, namely, regular periodic array a and regular periodic array b, and one array face is a sparsely arranged mixed array of dual-band units. The three array faces operate in four frequency bands, each of which forms two independent antenna beams, for a total of eight beams.

[0008] Each array surface of the two units in a regular periodic array includes a passive antenna array surface, a multi-channel TR component I, an upper liquid cooling plate I, an integrated network I, a sub-array wave control and power supply module, and a lower liquid cooling plate I. The passive antenna array surface, the multi-channel TR component I, the upper liquid cooling plate I, the integrated network I, the sub-array wave control and power supply module, and the lower liquid cooling plate I are stacked up and down in sequence; wherein the passive antenna array surface is vertically blind-plugged with the multi-channel TR component I through SMP-KK or SSMP-KK, the multi-channel TR component I is fixed to the upper liquid cooling plate I, and is vertically blind-plugged with the integrated network I through SMP-KK or SSMP-KK and a multi-core connector through the upper liquid cooling plate I, the integrated network I is connected to the sub-array wave control and power supply module through a multi-core cable, the sub-array wave control and power supply module is fixed to the lower liquid cooling plate I, and the upper liquid cooling plate I is vertically blind-plugged with the lower liquid cooling plate I through a water joint, realizing double-layer circulation of the coolant;

[0009] The dual-band unit sparse hybrid array includes a dual-band passive antenna array, a dual-band multi-channel TR component, an upper liquid cooling plate II, an integrated network II, a sub-array power supply, a lower liquid cooling plate II, and a dual-band beam control module, with each module stacked up and down in sequence. The passive antenna array is vertically blind-plugged to the dual-band multi-channel TR component via SMP-KK or SSMP-KK. The dual-band multi-channel TR component is fixed to the upper liquid cooling plate II and is vertically blind-plugged to the integrated network II via SMP-KK or SSMP-KK through the upper liquid cooling plate II and a multi-core connector. The integrated network II is vertically blind-plugged to the sub-array power supply via a multi-core connector and is connected to the dual-band beam control module via a multi-core cable. The sub-array power supply is fixed to the upper surface of the lower liquid cooling plate II, and the dual-band beam control module is fixed to the lower surface of the lower liquid cooling plate II.

[0010] Below the unit regular periodic array a are provided a common whole array integrated control module a, whole array power supply module a, and whole array feed network a;

[0011] Below the regular periodic array b of units are provided a common whole array integrated control module b, whole array power supply module b, and whole array feed network b;

[0012] The entire array integrated control module a, the entire array power module a, the entire array feed network a, the entire array integrated control module b, the entire array power module b, and the entire array feed network b are located in the same plane. The entire array control module is connected to the beam control and power modules of the two regularly periodically arranged sub-arrays and the beam control module of the sparsely mixed dual-band array via multi-core cables. The entire array feed network is connected to the integrated networks of each frequency band array surface via coaxial cables. The entire array power module is connected to the beam control and power modules of the two regularly periodically arranged sub-arrays and the power modules of the sparsely mixed dual-band array via multi-core cables.

[0013] Furthermore, as a unit sub-array, the phased array antenna can be spliced ​​and expanded in one dimension in the short side direction of the sub-array.

[0014] Furthermore, after multiple unit sub-arrays are spliced ​​together, the unit sub-arrays are combined through a beam switching network to form multiple beams with different capabilities.

[0015] Furthermore, the unit regular periodic array a is divided into 4 installation sub-arrays, the unit regular periodic array b is divided into 2 installation sub-arrays, and the dual-band unit sparse mixed array array surface is installed as a whole;

[0016] The two units with regular periodic arrays are divided into 16 RF sub-arrays, and the array surface of one dual-band unit with sparse mixed arrays is divided into 4 RF sub-arrays.

[0017] Furthermore, the passive antenna arrays for the four frequency bands adopt two forms: a vibrator antenna with a metal cavity and a microstrip antenna with an integrated 90° bridge. The upper surface of the metal cavity and the ground plane of the microstrip antenna radiation layer are kept in the same plane.

[0018] Furthermore, the integrated network adopts a multi-layer printed circuit board form, integrating the power distribution network, the low-frequency control network and the radio frequency feeding network.

[0019] Furthermore, it includes two whole-array integrated control modules, each of which integrates a beam control unit and a tracking receiver module to realize beam angle calculation, transmission, signal sampling and tracking functions; the tracking receiver module in each whole-array integrated control module is dual-channel and can receive two intermediate frequency signals for signal tracking.

[0020] Furthermore, it also includes 4 dual-channel downconverters and 4 single-channel upconverters, a total of 8 converters; each converter corresponds to 1 antenna beam, where the dual-channel downconverter outputs 2 intermediate frequency signals, 1 intermediate frequency signal is given to the corresponding tracking receiver module in the entire array integrated control module, and the other intermediate frequency signal is output through the external beam interface.

[0021] Furthermore, the beam switching network integrates signal power splitters, electronic switches, amplifiers and filters to achieve on-demand switching, combination, power splitting / synthesized beam signal switching functions for multiple sub-array signals.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] 1. This invention adheres to a standardized modular design concept, enabling large-scale, one-dimensional expansion of multi-band arrays. It can replace large-aperture parabolic antennas, resolving challenges such as large and heavy antenna arrays, lengthy installation, erection, and commissioning cycles, and inconvenient transportation. Compared to other existing technologies for expandable arrays, this invention, primarily single-band and typically smaller than 200mm x 200mm, offers significant advantages and prospects for engineering applications.

[0024] 2. This invention uses a simulated multi-beam technology system, which can be used as a sub-array for one-dimensional splicing and expansion. After splicing, the sub-array beams can be flexibly combined according to the application scenario. It has the characteristics of later capability expansion and beam recombination, and is particularly suitable for satellite applications in multiple scenarios and concurrent multiple tasks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structural layout of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the layered array of the sparse mixed array of dual-band units in the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the layered sub-arrays installed on the array surface 1 with regular periodic arrangement of units in the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the layered sub-arrays installed on the array surface 2 with regular periodic arrangement of units in the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the one-dimensional splicing expansion of the sub-arrays of the present invention (4 sub-arrays).

[0030] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of the principle of flexible combination of multiple transmitting beams after splicing of sub-arrays in the present invention.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a block diagram of the principle of flexible combination of receiving multiple beams after splicing of sub-arrays in the present invention.

[0032] In the figure: 1. Array surface a with regular periodic arrangement of units, 2. Array surface b with regular periodic arrangement of units, 3. Array surface with sparse hybrid arrangement of dual-band units, 4. Integrated control module a for the entire array, 5. Power module a for the entire array, 6. Down converter a, 7. Integrated control module b for the entire array, 8. Down converter b, 9. Feed network a for the entire array, 10. Power module b for the entire array, 11. Feed network b for the entire array, 13. Up converter, 14. Liquid separator, 3-1. Dual-band hybrid sparse array (passive antenna surface), 3-2. Multi-channel TR component c, 3-3. Upper liquid cooling plate c, 3-4. Integrated network c, 3-5, subarray power supply, 3-6, lower liquid cooling plate c, 3-7, B-band beam control module, 3-8, A-band beam control module, 1-1, passive antenna array a, 1-2, multi-channel TR component a, 1-3, upper liquid cooling plate a, 1-4, integrated network a, 1-5, subarray beam control and power supply module a, 1-6, lower liquid cooling plate a, 2-1, passive antenna array b, 2-2, multi-channel TR component b, 2-3, upper liquid cooling plate b, 2-4, integrated network b, 2-5, subarray beam control and power supply module b, 2-6, lower liquid cooling plate b. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0034] The present invention integrates antenna arrays of four frequency bands. The array structure of each frequency band adopts a longitudinal layering and vertical interconnection design, with a compact structure and high integration. Each frequency band adopts a common-aperture simulated dual-beam system, with a total of eight beams in the four frequency bands. At the same time, taking into account the needs of subsequent installation and debugging as well as capacity expansion, it follows a standardized modular design concept and can be used as a sub-array for one-dimensional splicing and expansion. After splicing, it has the characteristics of flexible combination of sub-array beams.

[0035] like Figure 1As shown, a large-scale, splicable multi-band, multi-beam phased array antenna includes three array surfaces for four frequency bands, two of which are arranged in a regular periodic array of units, and one array surface is a sparse mixed array of dual-band units. The four passive antenna array surfaces are in the form of a dipole antenna with a metal cavity and a microstrip antenna with an integrated 90° bridge. The upper surface of the metal cavity and the ground plane of the microstrip antenna radiation layer are coplanar, ensuring that the array surfaces of different frequency bands do not block each other. The two regularly periodic array array surfaces are divided into four and two mounting sub-arrays, respectively, while the one dual-band sparse mixed array array surface is installed as a whole. In addition, it also includes two full-array integrated control modules, two full-array power modules, two full-array feed networks, four upconverters, four downconverters, and a structural liquid cooling system. The entire array integrated control module integrates the beam control unit and tracking receiver module to realize functions such as beam angle calculation, downlink, signal sampling, and tracking. Each frequency converter corresponds to one antenna beam, and one channel of the dual-channel downconverter outputs the intermediate frequency signal to the tracking receiver module in the entire array integrated control module, while the other channel outputs the intermediate frequency signal through the external beam interface.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, the dual-band unit sparse hybrid array integrates a dual-band hybrid sparse array, multi-channel TR components, upper / lower liquid cooling plates, an integrated network, sub-array power supplies, and two-band array integrated control modules. The array is divided into four RF sub-arrays, which are seamlessly connected. Each RF sub-array integrates several antenna arrays and multi-channel TR components, an integrated network, and a sub-array power supply. All adopt a vertical plug-in design. The A-band TR component uses a dual-channel connection to one antenna unit to achieve dual beams on the same array surface; the B-band RF channel uses a single-channel connection to one antenna unit to achieve a single beam on a single array surface, for a total of two beams. The liquid cooling plate is divided into two layers, one close to the heat dissipation surface of the TR component, and the other close to the heat dissipation surface of the sub-array power supply and integrated control module. The two layers of liquid cooling plates adopt a vertical blind plug-in design to form a double-layer heat dissipation circulation system.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the array surface a with regular periodic arrangement of units integrates passive antenna array surface, multi-channel TR components, upper / lower liquid cooling plates, integrated network, sub-array wave control and power supply module. The array surface is divided into 4 installation sub-arrays and 16 RF sub-arrays. One installation sub-array is composed of 4 RF sub-arrays, and the 16 RF sub-arrays are seamlessly connected. Each RF sub-array integrates an antenna array and multi-channel TR components of 1 / 16 array surface, an integrated network and a sub-array wave control and power supply module, all of which adopt a vertical inter-plug design. Every 2 channels of the TR component correspond to 1 antenna unit, and a dual beam is formed in combination with the back-end feeding network. The liquid cooling plate is divided into two layers, one layer is close to the heat dissipation surface of the TR component, and the other layer is close to the heat dissipation surface of the sub-array wave control and power supply module. The two layers of liquid cooling plates adopt a vertical blind plug design to form a double-layer heat dissipation circulation system.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the array surface 2 with regular periodic arrangement of units integrates passive antenna array surface, multi-channel TR components, upper / lower liquid cooling plates, integrated network, sub-array wave control and power supply modules. The array surface is divided into 2 installation sub-arrays and 16 RF sub-arrays. One installation sub-array is composed of 8 RF sub-arrays, and the 16 RF sub-arrays are seamlessly connected. Each RF sub-array integrates an antenna array and multi-channel TR components of 1 / 16 array surface, an integrated network and a sub-array wave control and power supply module, all of which adopt a vertical inter-plug design. Every 2 channels of the TR component correspond to 1 antenna unit, which forms a dual beam in combination with the back-end feeding network. The liquid cooling plate is divided into two layers, one layer is close to the heat dissipation surface of the TR component, and the other layer is close to the heat dissipation surface of the sub-array wave control and power supply module. The two layers of liquid cooling plates adopt a vertical blind plug design to form a double-layer heat dissipation circulation system.

[0039] like Figure 5 As shown, a dual-band hybrid sparsely arranged phased array antenna can be used as a unit subarray, with the characteristics of one-dimensional splicing and expansion in the short side direction of the subarray. After multiple subarrays are spliced ​​together, the subarrays can be flexibly combined through a beam switching network to form multiple beams with different capabilities.

[0040] According to the maximum scanning angle θ of the phased array antenna max ≥45°, the maximum allowable array spacing is determined according to the following formula:

[0041] d<λ max / (1+sin(θ max ))

[0042] where λ max is the maximum wavelength of electromagnetic waves in the working frequency band, θ max It is the maximum scanning angle of the phased array antenna. The array spacing of the four frequency bands is comprehensively considered. The array spacing of the antenna units in the unit regular periodic array surface a is 13.5mm×13.5mm; the array spacing of the antenna units in the unit regular periodic array surface b is 8.1mm×8.1mm; the array spacing of the antenna units in the dual-band unit sparse mixed array surface A band is 11.2mm×11.2mm, and the array spacing of the antenna units in the B band is 5.6mm×5.6mm. The two are in a multiple relationship, which is convenient for dual-band mixed sparse array.

[0043] The overall array area is controlled within a width of approximately 605mm and a length of approximately 2400mm. The array area of ​​the regular periodic unit array plane a is 1296mm long, the array area of ​​the regular periodic unit array plane b is 584mm long, and the array area of ​​the dual-band unit sparse hybrid array is 448mm long. Taking into account factors such as array area, system EIRP, G / T value, antenna single-channel output power, and noise figure, the regular periodic unit array plane a is 44*96 in size, with a total of 96 multi-channel TR modules; the regular periodic unit array plane b is 72*72 in size, with a total of 144 multi-channel TR modules. The dual-band unit sparse hybrid array plane adopts a subarray-level sparse arrangement. Band A contains 44 subarrays, with elements arranged in a 4×6 rectangular array; Band B contains 108 subarrays, with elements arranged in a 4×4 rectangular array.

[0044] When a dual-band hybrid sparsely arranged phased array antenna is used as a unit subarray for one-dimensional splicing expansion of multiple subarrays, the subarray spacing should be no greater than D x , thus not affecting the sidelobe level of the multi-subarray composite pattern. After analysis and demonstration, D x The maximum is 30mm, and this spacing can accommodate the structural frame to support the heavy weight of large-scale phased array antennas. Take the splicing of 4 sub-arrays as an example. Figure 6 、 Figure 7 As shown in the figure, the beam switching network integrates signal power splitters, electronic switches, amplifiers, filters, and other components to implement beam switching functions such as on-demand switching, combining, and power splitting / combining of multiple subarray signals. A Class 1 beam is defined as the synthesis of one subarray, a Class 2 beam is defined as the synthesis of two subarrays, and so on. A minimum of two Class 4 beams can be formed, and a maximum of one Class 4 beam and four Class 1 beams can be formed. Therefore, phased array antennas can flexibly combine subarray beams according to application scenarios, greatly improving antenna flexibility.

[0045] From the above examples, it can be seen that the implementation process of the present invention is clear. It adopts a multi-band simulated multi-beam phased array antenna system, which can directly replace multiple traditional parabolic antennas. Through sub-array splicing, it has the ability of later capability expansion and beam reorganization, and is particularly suitable for satellite applications in multiple scenarios and multiple tasks concurrently.

[0046] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or parameter transformation made using the contents of the present invention description and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A large-scale, splicable multi-band, multi-beam phased array antenna, characterized in that: It includes three array surfaces located in the same plane, two of which are unit regular periodic arrays, namely unit regular periodic array a and unit regular periodic array b, and one array surface is a dual-band unit sparse mixed array; the three array surfaces operate in four frequency bands, each band forming two independent antenna beams, for a total of eight beams; Each array surface of the two units in a regular periodic array includes a passive antenna array surface, a multi-channel TR component I, an upper liquid cooling plate I, an integrated network I, a sub-array wave control and power supply module, and a lower liquid cooling plate I. The passive antenna array surface, the multi-channel TR component I, the upper liquid cooling plate I, the integrated network I, the sub-array wave control and power supply module, and the lower liquid cooling plate I are stacked up and down in sequence; wherein the passive antenna array surface is vertically blind-plugged with the multi-channel TR component I through SMP-KK or SSMP-KK, the multi-channel TR component I is fixed to the upper liquid cooling plate I, and is vertically blind-plugged with the integrated network I through SMP-KK or SSMP-KK and a multi-core connector through the upper liquid cooling plate I, the integrated network I is connected to the sub-array wave control and power supply module through a multi-core cable, the sub-array wave control and power supply module is fixed to the lower liquid cooling plate I, and the upper liquid cooling plate I is vertically blind-plugged with the lower liquid cooling plate I through a water joint, realizing double-layer circulation of the coolant; The dual-band unit sparse hybrid array includes a dual-band passive antenna array, a dual-band multi-channel TR component, an upper liquid cooling plate II, an integrated network II, a sub-array power supply, a lower liquid cooling plate II, and a dual-band beam control module, with each module stacked up and down in sequence. The passive antenna array is vertically blind-plugged to the dual-band multi-channel TR component via SMP-KK or SSMP-KK. The dual-band multi-channel TR component is fixed to the upper liquid cooling plate II and is vertically blind-plugged to the integrated network II via SMP-KK or SSMP-KK through the upper liquid cooling plate II and a multi-core connector. The integrated network II is vertically blind-plugged to the sub-array power supply via a multi-core connector and is connected to the dual-band beam control module via a multi-core cable. The sub-array power supply is fixed to the upper surface of the lower liquid cooling plate II, and the dual-band beam control module is fixed to the lower surface of the lower liquid cooling plate II. Below the unit regular periodic array a are provided a common whole array integrated control module a, whole array power supply module a, and whole array feed network a; Below the regular periodic array b of units are provided a common whole array integrated control module b, whole array power supply module b, and whole array feed network b; The entire array integrated control module a, the entire array power module a, the entire array feeding network a, the entire array integrated control module b, the entire array power module b and the entire array feeding network b are located in the same plane; the entire array control module is connected to the sub-array wave control and power module of the two regularly periodically arranged units and the beam control module of the sparsely mixed array of dual-band units through a multi-core cable; the entire array feeding network is connected to the integrated network of each frequency band array through a coaxial cable; the entire array power module is connected to the sub-array wave control and power module of the two regularly periodically arranged units and the sub-array power module of the sparsely mixed array of dual-band units through a multi-core cable.

2. The large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: As a unit sub-array, the phased array antenna can be spliced ​​and expanded in one dimension along the short side of the sub-array.

3. The large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: After multiple unit sub-arrays are spliced ​​together, the unit sub-arrays are combined through a beam switching network to form multiple beams with different capabilities.

4. The large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that: The unit regular periodic array a is divided into 4 installation sub-arrays, the unit regular periodic array b is divided into 2 installation sub-arrays, and the dual-band unit sparse mixed array array surface is installed as a whole; The two units with regular periodic arrays are divided into 16 RF sub-arrays, and the array surface of one dual-band unit with sparse mixed arrays is divided into 4 RF sub-arrays.

5. The large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The passive antenna arrays for the four frequency bands adopt two forms: a vibrator antenna with a metal cavity and a microstrip antenna with an integrated 90° bridge. The upper surface of the metal cavity and the ground plane of the microstrip antenna radiation layer are kept in the same plane.

6. The large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The integrated network adopts the form of multi-layer printed circuit board, integrating the power distribution network, low-frequency control network and radio frequency feed network.

7. The large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: It includes two full-array integrated control modules. Each full-array integrated control module integrates a beam control unit and a tracking receiver module to realize beam angle calculation, transmission, signal sampling and tracking functions. The tracking receiver module in each full-array integrated control module is dual-channel and can receive two intermediate frequency signals for signal tracking.

8. The large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes 4 dual-channel downconverters and 4 single-channel upconverters, a total of 8 converters; each converter corresponds to 1 antenna beam, where the dual-channel downconverter outputs 2 intermediate frequency signals, 1 intermediate frequency signal is given to the corresponding tracking receiver module in the entire array integrated control module, and the other intermediate frequency signal is output through the external beam interface.

9. The large-scale splicable multi-band multi-beam phased array antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The beam switching network integrates signal power splitters, electronic switches, amplifiers and filters to achieve on-demand switching, combination, power splitting / synthetic beam signal switching functions for multiple sub-array signals.

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