Antenna

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, and discloses an antenna, which comprises a plurality of antenna array surfaces, forms a frustum structure layout, and comprises a planar antenna array surface and a plurality of side wall antenna array surfaces, the plane antenna array surface forms a plane with a smaller area in the frustum, and the side wall antenna array surface forms the side surface of the frustum; different antenna array planes have different scanning ranges and are used for carrying out beam forming in a specific direction on detection targets in the respective scanning ranges. The antenna is designed to be of a frustum conformal structure, so that a planar antenna array plane which belongs to a plane in the antenna can be used for beamforming of a specific area perpendicular to the horizontal direction; and each side wall antenna array plane placed in different orientations is used for being responsible for beam forming of a specific area perpendicular to the direction of the current side wall antenna array plane, so that the antenna array planes placed in different orientations can be controlled to be used for performing beam forming on respective responsible scanning areas, and target tracking of the whole airspace can be realized on the whole.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to an antenna. Background Art

[0002] Phased array antennas have the ability to quickly change beam direction and beam shape, are easy to form multiple beams, and can achieve signal power synthesis in space. These characteristics make phased array antennas widely used in fields such as radar, communication, electronic warfare, and navigation. Currently, the phased array antennas used in these fields are basically planar phased array antennas; however, the beam width of the planar phased array antenna changes with the antenna beam scanning angle, and the gain decreases as the scanning angle increases. Therefore, the antenna scanning range is narrow, the instantaneous signal bandwidth is limited, and it is difficult to achieve wide-angle scanning.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need to design an antenna that can cover the entire airspace currently. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application provides an antenna for beamforming the entire airspace to improve the effect of target tracking.

[0005] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide an antenna, which includes a plurality of antenna arrays. The plurality of antenna arrays form a frustum structure layout, including a planar antenna array and a plurality of sidewall antenna arrays; the planar antenna array forms the smaller plane of the two planes of the frustum, and each sidewall antenna array forms each side of the frustum; different antenna arrays have different scanning ranges for beamforming a detection target in their respective scanning ranges in a specific direction.

[0006] Based on this antenna, by designing it into a frustum conformal structure, the planar antenna array placed in a plane in the antenna can be used to be responsible for beamforming a specific area perpendicular to the horizontal direction, and each sidewall antenna array placed in different orientations can be used to be responsible for beamforming a specific area perpendicular to the current sidewall antenna array direction. Thus, it is possible to control the antenna arrays placed in different orientations to perform beamforming on their respective responsible scanning areas, and overall, target tracking of the entire airspace can be achieved.

[0007] In a possible implementation method, the specifications of each sidewall antenna array are the same and are connected to the planar antenna array in a movable connection manner.

[0008] Based on this antenna, by arranging multiple sidewall antenna arrays in the same way using the same antenna elements (i.e., the smallest antenna units) and setting the physical sizes of the multiple sidewall antenna arrays to be the same, it is possible to achieve the same degree of beamforming effect even when the multiple sidewall antenna arrays are in different orientations, provided that the placement angles of the sidewall antenna arrays are the same. In addition, by connecting each sidewall antenna array to the planar antenna array in a movably connected manner, it is possible to rotate each sidewall antenna array relative to the planar antenna array at different angles, which can also meet the tracking of targets in different-sized spatial regions to a certain extent.

[0009] In a possible implementation method, adjacent sidewall antenna arrays are spaced apart by a first angle σ and the number of sidewall antenna arrays is n, where n ≥ 3. In the coordinate system where the planar antenna array is located, the solid angle range of the planar antenna array is: θ ∈ [0, β). The solid angle range of the i-th sidewall antenna array among the n sidewall antenna arrays is: θ i ∈ [β, γ). where θ represents the elevation angle direction. represents the azimuth angle direction. i represents the identifier of each sidewall antenna array, and i = 1, 2... n.

[0010] Based on this antenna, by using three sidewall antenna arrays, it is possible to achieve the effect of arranging them around the planar antenna array for one full circle. Of course, as the number of sidewall antenna arrays increases (such as four, five, or even more), the spatial regions where different sidewall antenna arrays can perform beamforming become more refined. In addition, from the perspective of the coordinate system angles where the planar antenna array is located, by setting the azimuth angle of the beam that the planar antenna array can form to [0, β), the elevation angle to [0, 2π), and the azimuth angle of the beam that each sidewall antenna array can form to [β, γ), where then the antenna based on this frustum design can achieve beamforming for targets in the upper half-space region.

[0011] In a possible implementation method, the planar antenna array forms a second angle α with any one of the sidewall antenna arrays. The azimuth data of the solid angle range of any one of the sidewall antenna arrays in the coordinate system of the sidewall antenna array is determined by the following angle conversion formula:

[0012]

[0013] where δ i = (i - 1)·σ. It represents that the solid angle range of any sidewall antenna array is within the elevation angle range of the coordinate system where the sidewall antenna array is located. It represents that the solid angle range of any sidewall antenna array is within the azimuth angle range of the coordinate system where the sidewall antenna array is located.

[0014] Based on this antenna, for each sidewall antenna array, by converting the solid angle range previously expressed in the coordinate system of the planar antenna array according to the given angle conversion formula, the effect that a certain solid angle within the solid angle range of a certain sidewall antenna array can be converted into the azimuth angle in the coordinate system of the sidewall antenna array itself can be achieved. Thus, in the future when beamforming needs to be performed using this sidewall antenna array, the azimuth angle of the coordinate system of the sidewall antenna array itself can be directly used.

[0015] In a possible implementation method, when n = 6, the maximum scanning angle of each sidewall antenna array is 37 degrees.

[0016] In a possible implementation method, the lowest gain of the beam pointing of the antenna in the GPS L1 band is 20.5 dB.

[0017] In a possible implementation method, the maximum fluctuation range of the gain of the antenna in the GPS L1 band is less than 2 dB.

[0018] In a possible implementation method, the multiple antenna arrays have the same specifications.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a target tracking method, which is applied to the antenna described in any one of the first aspects. The method includes: obtaining the position data of the detected target through a receiver; determining the target antenna array in the antenna for tracking the detected target according to the position data of the detected target and the preset antenna array tracking area division relationship, where the antenna array tracking area division relationship is obtained by dividing the scanning ranges respectively responsible for by the multiple antenna arrays of the antenna, and different antenna arrays are responsible for tracking different areas; tracking the detected target through beamforming of the target antenna array.

[0020] In the above solution, after the antenna described in the first aspect is available, for this antenna, the present application can use it to track the target, including obtaining the position data of the detected target through the receiver, and then determining which antenna array in the antenna should be used to track the detected target by comparing the position data with the pre-set antenna array tracking area division relationship, and finally completing the target tracking by controlling the determined antenna array to perform beamforming on the detected target.

[0021] In a possible implementation method, the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface is located is set to be consistent with the coordinate system of the detection target.

[0022] In the above solution, by setting the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface is located to be consistent with the coordinate system of the detection target, it can be understood that in this application, the detection target is directly placed at the position of the planar antenna array surface. In this way, the azimuth relationship between the sidewall antenna array surface and the detection target can be equivalent to the azimuth relationship between the sidewall antenna array surface and the planar antenna array surface. Therefore, this application can directly transmit and receive beams at the corresponding azimuth angles based on the previously determined data of the solid angle range of each sidewall antenna array surface in the planar antenna array surface to the azimuth angle in the coordinate system of its own antenna array surface (referring to the sidewall antenna array surface). These beams are also the beams for the detection target, thus avoiding the problem that complex angle data conversion calculations are required to finally calculate the angles of the beams transmitted and received by the sidewall antenna array surface.

[0023] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computing device, including:

[0024] A memory for storing program instructions;

[0025] A processor for calling the program instructions stored in the memory and executing any implementation method in the second aspect according to the obtained program.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are used to cause a computer to execute any implementation method in the second aspect.

[0027] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, where the computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are used to cause a computer to execute any implementation method in the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 3 Schematic structural diagram of an antenna array provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of beam scanning provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a target tracking method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of a computing device provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0035] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0036] Regarding the problem that current planar phased array antennas are difficult to achieve wide-angle scanning, the present application proposes an antenna that can achieve full-airspace coverage. The antenna includes a plurality of antenna arrays, and the plurality of antenna arrays form a frustum structure layout; the antenna includes a planar antenna array and a plurality of sidewall antenna arrays, wherein the planar antenna array forms the smaller plane of the two planes of the frustum, and each sidewall antenna array forms each side of the frustum; different antenna arrays have different scanning ranges for performing beam shaping in a specific direction on detection targets located within their respective scanning ranges.

[0037] As Figure 1 shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present application. In this structural diagram, the antenna has a total of seven antenna arrays, and the seven antenna arrays are jointly arranged in the form of a frustum. Further, for these seven antenna arrays, according to their different placement positions, they can also be divided into two types: a planar antenna array and a sidewall antenna array. For example, in the structure shown in Figure 1 it includes a planar antenna array and six sidewall antenna arrays. In a possible implementation manner, the only planar antenna array can be denoted as planar antenna array A0, and the six sidewall antenna arrays can be named sidewall antenna array A1, sidewall antenna array A2, sidewall antenna array A3, sidewall antenna array A4, sidewall antenna array A5, and sidewall antenna array A6 in a counterclockwise direction in sequence. Continue to refer to Figure 1, the planar antenna array surface A0 forms the smaller plane of the two planes of the frustum, and by arranging six sidewall antenna array surfaces around the planar antenna array surface A0 for one week, each side surface of the frustum is formed.

[0038] For Figure 1 For such a frustum-shaped antenna, different antenna array surfaces have different scanning ranges, and are used to perform beamforming in a specific direction on detection targets located within their respective scanning ranges. For example, in this application, the entire airspace can be divided into sub-regions according to the scanning ranges respectively responsible for by each antenna array surface, obtaining individual sub-regions. Different antenna array surfaces are responsible for tracking different sub-regions, and the relationship data of the divided antenna array surface - tracking region is recorded. Thus, when it is necessary to perform beamforming on an object in a specific region later, the antenna array surface corresponding to the specific region can be directly determined from this relationship data for use.

[0039] In a possible implementation manner, the sidewall antenna array surfaces of this application have the same specifications and are connected to the planar antenna array surface in a movable connection manner.

[0040] In a possible implementation manner, the multiple antenna array surfaces all have the same specifications.

[0041] Continue to refer to Figure 1 , taking the sidewall antenna array surface A1 of this application as an example, it can be connected to the planar antenna array surface A0 through two hinges labeled aa and bb respectively, so as to meet the requirement of rotating the sidewall antenna array surface A1 and the planar antenna array surface A0. Of course, in this application, it is not limited to the movable connection method using hinges, and it can also include movable connection methods such as hinge rods and rotating shafts. And when using the hinge connection as the movable connection method, the number of hinges in this application is not limited. The connection methods of other sidewall antenna array surfaces and the planar antenna array surface A0 can be similarly referred to the connection method of the sidewall antenna array surface A1. In addition, in this application, the sidewall antenna array surfaces A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6 have the same specifications, which means that these six sidewall antenna array surfaces all adopt the same layout method of antenna units (i.e., the smallest antenna unit) and set the physical sizes of these sidewall antenna array surfaces to be the same. See Figure 1 , the antenna unit is Figure 1 the individual circular structures in Figure 1 and designs each sidewall antenna array surface in a square style with a side length of p in

[0042] In addition, as Figure 2As shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present application. This schematic diagram is a structural diagram formed when viewing the Figure 1 shown antenna from the side. For Figure 2 , the height dimension of the frustum conformal antenna structure of the present application is H, and the thickness of each antenna array surface is w.

[0043] In addition, for multiple antenna array surfaces with the same specifications in the present application, one possible design method is:

[0044] Set an antenna element at the center position of the reflector;

[0045] With one antenna element as the center, layout a concentric circle antenna array. The concentric circle antenna array includes multiple circles of antenna sub-arrays. Each circle of antenna sub-arrays includes multiple antenna elements, and among the multiple antenna elements, there are at least two antenna elements with different distances from the center position.

[0046] Among them, an antenna element is an independent component that can receive or transmit electromagnetic waves and is the smallest working unit of an antenna system or antenna array. The reflector is a platform that provides physical support for the antenna elements. In an antenna array, each antenna element may require a specific position and angle to work. The reflector, as a basic platform, can assist in fixing these antenna elements. Based on the number and structural design of the antenna elements in the antenna layout, select a reflector with an appropriate thickness to prevent poor impedance matching caused by an overly thin reflector.

[0047] As Figure 3 shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna array provided by an embodiment of the present application. Taking Figure 3 as an example, if the distance between the antenna element 305 in the second circle of antenna sub-arrays and the center position is set to 280 mm, the distance between the antenna element 306 and the center position is 300 mm, and the antenna element 304 is set to 260 mm. Then, in the second circle of antenna sub-arrays, the first distance between the antenna element 304 and the center position, the second distance between the antenna element 305 and the center position, and the third distance between the antenna element 306 and the center position are all different.

[0048] If the distance between the antenna element 309 in the third - loop antenna sub - array and the center position is set to 430 mm, the distance between the antenna element 310 and the center position of the reflector is set to 500 mm, and the distances between the antenna elements 307 and 308 in the third - loop antenna sub - array and the center position of the reflector are both set to 410 mm, then for the fourth distance between the antenna element 307 and the center position, the fifth distance between the antenna element 308 and the center position, the sixth distance between the antenna element 309 and the center position, and the seventh distance between the antenna element 310 and the center position, among these four distances, the fourth distance is the same as the fifth distance, but the fourth distance is different from the sixth distance, the fourth distance is different from the seventh distance, and the sixth distance is different from the seventh distance.

[0049] With the antenna array surface in this application, that is, the irregular quasi - concentric - circle antenna array, compared with the antenna arrangement method with a uniform array surface in the prior art, it can effectively suppress the sidelobe level and ensure the main - lobe gain of the beam. Secondly, there are at least two antenna elements with different distances from the center position, so the spacing between antenna elements in the entire antenna arrangement is not equal, solving the problem of grating lobes caused by too large a spacing between antenna elements and at the same time expanding the beam scanning angle.

[0050] In some embodiments, based on the symmetric distribution of the concentric - circle antenna array, the concentric - circle antenna array is divided into N equal - division regions, and the distances between any two antenna elements in each equal - division region and the center position are different, where N>1.

[0051] Specifically, if the specification of the concentric - circle antenna array is small, that is, the number of antenna elements is small, then based on the symmetric distribution of the concentric - circle antenna array, after dividing it into N equal - division regions, the distances between any two antenna elements in each equal - division region and the center position are different.

[0052] Moreover, in each equal - division region, the adjacent distances between every two adjacent antenna elements in an antenna sub - array are not the same.

[0053] For example, referring to Figure 3 , based on the symmetric distribution, the concentric - circle antenna array is divided into 8 equal - division regions. For each equal - division region, for example, Figure 3 the equal - division region containing the antenna elements 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, and 310, the distances between each antenna element (except the antenna element at the center position of the reflector) and the center position in this equal - division region are not the same. Among them, each equal - division region and its adjacent equal - division region share the antenna element 301 at the center position and the antenna elements on the axis.

[0054] Moreover, for the antenna elements in the second - loop antenna sub - array, the adjacent distance between antenna element 304 and antenna element 305 is different from the adjacent distance between antenna element 305 and antenna element 306.

[0055] For the antenna elements in the third - loop antenna sub - array, the fourth adjacent distance between antenna element 307 and antenna element 308 (or other antenna elements adjacent to antenna element 307), the fifth adjacent distance between antenna element 308 and antenna element 309, and the sixth adjacent distance between antenna element 309 and antenna element 310 are different from each other.

[0056] Meanwhile, for the second - loop antenna sub - array and the third - loop antenna sub - array, the seventh adjacent distance between antenna element 304 and antenna element 307 on the same axis, and the eighth adjacent distance between antenna element 306 and antenna element 310 on the other axis are different.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present application, by designing each loop of the antenna sub - array in the concentric - circle antenna arrangement as an irregular approximate - circular shape, the spacing between antenna elements is uneven. Compared with the existing antenna arrangement method with a uniform array surface, which is prone to sidelobe levels due to strong periodicity, the present application can effectively suppress sidelobe levels and improve main - lobe gain, thus ensuring the quality of wireless signals.

[0058] In some embodiments, the number of the multi - loop antenna sub - arrays is L, where L>1; the number of antenna elements in the (k + 1) - th loop antenna sub - array is greater than the number of antenna elements in the k - th loop antenna sub - array, k≥1 and k≤L.

[0059] Specifically, to ensure the stability of the concentric - circle antenna arrangement structure, when setting up the concentric - circle antenna array, from the inner - loop antenna sub - array to the outer - loop antenna sub - array, the number of antenna elements increases sequentially. In practical applications, it can increase sequentially according to a preset multiple.

[0060] For example, referring to Figure 3 , in the entire concentric - circle antenna array, the number of antenna elements at the central position is set to 1, the number of antenna elements in the first - loop antenna sub - array is set to 8, the number of antenna elements in the second - loop antenna sub - array is set to 16, and the number of antenna elements in the third - loop antenna sub - array is set to 24.

[0061] In some embodiments, a first self - rotation angle is set for one antenna element at the central position; based on the number of antenna elements in each loop of the antenna sub - array, a second self - rotation angle of each antenna element in each loop of the antenna sub - array is determined.

[0062] Specifically, by combining the concentric circle antenna array with the self-rotation technology, a first self-rotation angle is set for an antenna element at the central position, and a second self-rotation angle is set for the antenna elements in each circle of antenna sub-arrays. Among them, the self-rotation technology refers to enabling the antenna array to rotate in different directions through mechanical means, improving the flexibility and adaptability of the antenna array, thereby enhancing the signal coverage range, reception quality, or performance in a multipath propagation environment. It can also better achieve circular polarization radiation purity and a wider axial ratio bandwidth without affecting the radiation efficiency and aperture size.

[0063] In some embodiments, for each circle of antenna sub-arrays, the following is performed respectively: If the number of antenna elements included in a circle of antenna sub-arrays is M, then the second self-rotation angle of each antenna element in the circle of antenna sub-arrays is set to 360 / M, where M > 1.

[0064] Specifically, the antenna elements of each circle of antenna sub-arrays complete a 360-degree closure through self-rotation. Therefore, according to the number of antenna elements in a circle of antenna sub-arrays, the second self-rotation angle of each antenna element in the circle of antenna sub-arrays is determined.

[0065] For example, referring to Figure 3 , there is an antenna element at the central position of the reflector, then the first self-rotation angle of this one antenna element is set to 360 degrees; the first circle of antenna sub-arrays includes 8 antenna elements, then the second self-rotation angle of each antenna element is set to 45 degrees; the second circle of antenna sub-arrays includes 16 antenna elements, then the second self-rotation angle of each antenna element is set to 22.5 degrees (i.e., degrees); the third circle of antenna sub-arrays includes 24 antenna elements, then the second self-rotation angle of each antenna element is set to 15 degrees (i.e., degrees).

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, the first self-rotation angle is set for an antenna element at the central position of the reflector in combination with the self-rotation technology, and the second self-rotation angle is set for each antenna element in each circle of antenna sub-arrays based on the number of antenna elements included in each circle of antenna sub-arrays, so that the antenna elements of each circle of antenna sub-arrays complete a 360-degree closure through self-rotation, flexibly changing the beam direction of the array, achieving a wider signal coverage, and being able to provide omnidirectional signal transmission or reception in a variety of application scenarios.

[0067] In a possible implementation method, the adjacent sidewall antenna arrays are spaced by a first angle σ and the number of sidewall antenna arrays is n, n ≥ 3; in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array is located, the solid angle range of the planar antenna array is: θ ∈ [0, β), The solid angle range of the i-th sidewall antenna array among the n sidewall antenna arrays is: θ i∈[β, γ), where θ represents the elevation angle direction, represents the azimuth angle direction, i represents the identifier of each sidewall antenna array surface, i = 1, 2... n,

[0068] Continue to refer to Figure 1 , because the number of sidewall antenna array surfaces is 6. Therefore, in order to make these 6 surfaces be evenly arranged around the planar antenna array surface, in this application, the sidewall antenna array surfaces are arranged with a 60° interval between each pair. Among them, 60° is calculated according to , that is, in the antenna structure shown in Figure 1 , the first angle σ is 60°.

[0069] Based on the antenna shown in Figure 1 , in order to meet the requirement of full airspace coverage in this application, the solid angle range of the planar antenna array surface can be set to θ ∈ [0, β), and the solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface is set to θ i ∈[β, γ), where,

[0070] For example, in this application, β can be set to 30° and γ can be set to 85°. The solid angle range of the planar antenna array surface A0 is θ ∈ [0, 30°), The solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface A1 is θ ∈ [30°, 85°), The solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface A2 is θ ∈ [30°, 85°), The solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface A3 is θ ∈ [30°, 85°), The solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface A4 is θ ∈ [30°, 85°), The solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface A5 is θ ∈ [30°, 85°), The solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface A6 is θ ∈ [30°, 85°),

[0071] It should be noted that for the solid angle range of the above-described planar antenna array surface and the solid angle range of each sidewall antenna array surface, they are all based on the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface is located, that is Figure 1The spherical coordinate system of O-x0y0z0 marked in the figure is the accurate solid angle. However, when using different antenna arrays to achieve beamforming for the detection target, it is necessary to convert the solid angle range determined by each sidewall antenna array in the plane antenna array into the azimuth data in the coordinate system where the sidewall antenna array itself is located. At the same time, in order to achieve the effect of simply determining the azimuth data of the solid angle range in the coordinate system where the sidewall antenna array itself is located, the present application proposes that the coordinate system data of the plane antenna array can be set the same as the position data of the detection target. Then, when it is necessary to use a certain sidewall antenna array to track the detection target in the future, it is only necessary to equivalently regard the plane antenna array as the detection target and perform beamforming for the corresponding azimuth angle, so as to achieve beamforming for the detection target.

[0072] To achieve the above object, in a possible implementation method, the plane antenna array forms a second angle α with any sidewall antenna array, and the azimuth data of the solid angle range of any sidewall antenna array in the sidewall antenna array in the coordinate system where the sidewall antenna array is located is determined by the following angle conversion formula:

[0073]

[0074] where δ i =(i - 1)·σ, represents the elevation angle range of the solid angle range of any sidewall antenna array in the coordinate system where the sidewall antenna array is located, represents the azimuth angle range of the solid angle range of any sidewall antenna array in the coordinate system where the sidewall antenna array is located.

[0075] For example, following the example of the antenna described above Figure 1 shown in the figure, Figure 1 the antenna shown in the figure can be imagined to be obtained through the following method: Initially, the six sidewall antenna arrays A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, and A6 are coplanar with the plane antenna array A0. Then, in the present application, any sidewall antenna array is rotated downward by 60° relative to the plane antenna array A0, so that Figure 1The antenna shown in the state. Then, for the sidewall antenna array surface A1, this sidewall antenna array surface can be regarded as first rotating 60° along the Oy0 axis in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located, and then rotating 0° along the Oz0 axis (i.e., no rotation occurs in the Oz0 axis direction); for the sidewall antenna array surface A2, this sidewall antenna array surface can be regarded as first rotating 60° along the Oy0 axis in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located, and then rotating 60° along the Oz0 axis; for the sidewall antenna array surface A3, this sidewall antenna array surface can be regarded as first rotating 60° along the Oy0 axis in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located, and then rotating 120° along the Oz0 axis; for the sidewall antenna array surface A4, this sidewall antenna array surface can be regarded as first rotating 60° along the Oy0 axis in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located, and then rotating 180° along the Oz0 axis; for the sidewall antenna array surface A5, this sidewall antenna array surface can be regarded as first rotating 60° along the Oy0 axis in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located, and then rotating 240° along the Oz0 axis; for the sidewall antenna array surface A6, this sidewall antenna array surface can be regarded as first rotating 60° along the Oy0 axis in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located, and then rotating 300° along the Oz0 axis.

[0076] For the above angle conversion formula (1), the left side of the equal sign is the azimuth angle data of the sidewall antenna array surface to be solved in its own coordinate system, the first term on the right side of the equal sign is the angle by which the sidewall antenna array surface rotates around the Oz0 axis in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located, the second term on the right side of the equal sign is the angle by which the sidewall antenna array surface rotates around the Oy0 axis in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located, and the third term on the right side of the equal sign is the solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface A0 is located.

[0077] In a possible implementation, when n = 6, the maximum scanning angle of each sidewall antenna array surface is 37 degrees.

[0078] For example, for Figure 1 the shown antenna, that is, a frustum conformal antenna composed of a planar antenna array surface and six sidewall antenna array surfaces, let the solid angle of the planar antenna array surface A0 be θ ∈ [0, 30°), and the solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface A1 be θ ∈ [30°, 85°), And under the condition that the sidewall antenna array surface A1 only rotates downward by 60° compared with the planar antenna array surface A0 (which can be understood as rotating by 60° around the Oy0 axis) and does not rotate around the Oz0 axis, by substituting these data into the angle conversion formula (1), the maximum scanning angle of the sidewall antenna array surface A1 can be determined to be 37°; assuming that the solid angle of the planar antenna array surface A0 is θ ∈ [0, 30°), and the solid angle range of the sidewall antenna array surface A2 is θ ∈ [30°, 85°), And under the condition that the sidewall antenna array surface A2 rotates downward by 60° compared with the planar antenna array surface A0 (which can be understood as rotating by 60° around the Oy0 axis) and rotates around the Oz0 axis by 60°, by substituting these data into the angle conversion formula (1), the maximum scanning angle of the sidewall antenna array surface A2 can be determined to be 37°. The other sidewall antenna arrays are calculated in the same way and will not be shown one by one.

[0079] In a possible implementation method, the lowest gain of the beam pointing of the antenna in the GPS L1 frequency band is 20.5 dB, and the maximum fluctuation range of the gain of the antenna in the GPS L1 frequency band is less than 2 dB.

[0080] As Figure 4 shown, it is a beam scanning schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application. This figure is the highest gain beam scanning diagram of the antenna designed in the present application in the entire upper half space when the antenna is placed in the GPS L1 frequency band. It can be seen from the data that the lowest beam pointing gain of this antenna also reaches 20.5 dB, and the maximum fluctuation range is less than 2 dB.

[0081] In addition, based on the antenna provided by the present application, the present application can also propose a target tracking method applied to this antenna. As Figure 5 shown, it is a schematic diagram of a target tracking method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The figure includes:

[0082] Step 501, obtain the position data of the detected target through a receiver.

[0083] In this step, the detected target can be an object such as a satellite or a radar. For example, when the detected object is a satellite, a Beidou receiver can be used to receive the signals continuously emitted by the satellite containing orbit information and precise time information, and based on the data obtained, the position data of the satellite can be calculated using the triangulation method.

[0084] Step 502, determine the target antenna array in the antenna for tracking the detected target according to the position data of the detected target and the preset antenna array tracking area division relationship; wherein, the antenna array tracking area division relationship is obtained by dividing the scanning ranges respectively responsible for by multiple antenna arrays of the antenna, and different antenna arrays are responsible for tracking different areas.

[0085] As described in the foregoing of this application, each antenna array surface of this application can be used to track different sub-regions in the entire airspace, and the relationship data between the antenna array surface and the tracking region has been recorded in advance. Thus, in this step, when the position data of the detection target is obtained, that is, the corresponding region to be tracked is obtained, then by comparing this sub-region with the recorded relationship between the antenna array surface and the tracking region, it is possible to quickly determine which antenna array surface of the antenna should be used for work this time, that is, determine the target antenna array surface.

[0086] Step 503, track the detection target through beamforming of the target antenna array surface.

[0087] In this step, when the target antenna is determined, beamforming of the target antenna can be used to track the detection target.

[0088] In a possible implementation method, the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface is located is set to be the same as the coordinate system of the detection target.

[0089] Regarding the angle conversion formula (1) mentioned in the foregoing of this application, since it calculates the conversion of the solid angle range determined by each sidewall antenna array surface in the planar antenna array surface into the azimuth angle data in the coordinate system where the sidewall antenna array surface itself is located, it is obvious that it only involves the conversion process of the angle between the sidewall antenna array surface and the planar antenna array surface, and does not involve how to calculate the azimuth angle range emitted from the sidewall antenna array surface when the sidewall antenna array surface is needed to perform beamforming on the detection target. For this reason, as a simple method, this application proposes that the coordinate system data of the planar antenna array surface can be set to be the same as the position data of the detection target. Then, in the future, when a certain sidewall antenna array surface is needed to track the detection target, it is only necessary to equivalently regard the planar antenna array surface as the detection target and perform beamforming of the corresponding azimuth angle to achieve beamforming of the detection target.

[0090] The embodiment of this application also provides a computing device, which can specifically be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA), etc. This computing device can include a central processing unit (Center Processing Unit, CPU), a memory, an input / output device, etc. The input device can include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, etc., and the output device can include a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (Liquid Crystal Display, LCD), a cathode ray tube (Cathode Ray Tube, CRT), etc.

[0091] A memory, which may include a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), and provides program instructions and data stored in the memory to the processor. In an embodiment of the present application, the memory may be used to store program instructions of the target tracking method;

[0092] A processor, configured to call the program instructions stored in the memory and execute the target tracking method according to the obtained program.

[0093] As Figure 6 shown, it is a schematic diagram of a computing device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The computing device includes:

[0094] A processor 601, a memory 602, a transceiver 603, and a bus interface 604; wherein, the processor 601, the memory 602 and the transceiver 603 are connected through a bus 605;

[0095] The processor 601 is configured to read the program in the memory 602 and execute the above-mentioned target tracking method;

[0096] The processor 601 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. It may also be a hardware chip. The above-mentioned hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof.

[0097] The memory 602 is configured to store one or more executable programs and may store data used by the processor 601 when performing operations.

[0098] Specifically, the program may include program code, and the program code includes computer operation instructions. The memory 602 may include volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM); the memory 602 may also include non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD); the memory 602 may further include a combination of the above types of memory.

[0099] The memory 602 stores the following elements, executable modules or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof:

[0100] Operation instructions: including various operation instructions for implementing various operations.

[0101] Operating system: including various system programs for implementing various basic services and processing hardware-based tasks.

[0102] The bus 605 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 6 only a thick line is used to represent it in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0103] The bus interface 604 may be a wired communication access port, a wireless bus interface or a combination thereof. Among them, the wired bus interface may be an Ethernet interface, for example. The Ethernet interface may be an optical interface, an electrical interface or a combination thereof. The wireless bus interface may be a WLAN interface.

[0104] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are used to make a computer execute the target tracking method.

[0105] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, and the computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are used to make a computer execute the target tracking method.

[0106] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk memory, CD-ROM, optical memory, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0107] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing devices to generate a machine, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing devices generate means for implementing the functions specified in Figure 1 one flow or multiple flows and / or blocks Figure 1 one block or multiple blocks.

[0108] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory generate a manufactured article including instruction means that implement the functions specified in Figure 1 one flow or multiple flows and / or blocks Figure 1 one block or multiple blocks.

[0109] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, such that a series of operation steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to generate a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in Figure 1 one flow or multiple flows and / or blocks Figure 1 one block or multiple blocks.

[0110] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application is also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. An antenna, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of antenna array surfaces, wherein the plurality of antenna array surfaces form a frustum structure layout, including a planar antenna array surface and a plurality of sidewall antenna array surfaces; The planar antenna array surface forms the smaller plane of the two planes of the frustum, and each side wall antenna array surface forms each side surface of the frustum; Different antenna arrays have different scanning ranges, which are used to perform beamforming in specific directions on detection targets within their respective scanning ranges.

2. The antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that The side wall antenna array surfaces have the same specifications and are connected to the planar antenna array surface by a movable connection.

3. The antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that Adjacent side wall antenna array surfaces are spaced apart by a first angle σ and the number of side wall antenna array surfaces is n, where n≥3; in the coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface is located, The solid angle range of the planar antenna array is: θ∈[0,β), The solid angle range of the i-th side wall antenna array among the n side wall antenna arrays is: θ i ∈[β,γ), Among them, θ represents the elevation angle direction, Indicates the azimuth direction, i represents the identification of each side wall antenna array, i = 1, 2...n, 4. The antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that The planar antenna array plane forms a second angle α with any side wall antenna array plane, and the azimuth data of the solid angle range of any side wall antenna array plane among the side wall antenna array planes in the coordinate system where the side wall antenna array plane is located is determined by the following angle conversion formula: among them,d i =(i-1)·s, represents the elevation angle range of any side wall antenna array surface in the coordinate system where the side wall antenna array surface is located, Indicates the azimuth angle range of any side wall antenna array surface in the coordinate system where the side wall antenna array surface is located.

5. The antenna according to claim 4, characterized in that When n=6, When the maximum scanning angle of each side wall antenna array is 37 degrees.

6. The antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that The antenna has a minimum gain of 20.5 dB for beam pointing in the GPS L1 band.

7. The antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that The maximum fluctuation range of the antenna gain in the GPS L1 frequency band is less than 2 dB.

8. The antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The multiple antenna array surfaces all have the same specifications.

9. A target tracking method, characterized in that: The antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprises: Acquire the position data of the detected target through the receiver; Determine the target antenna array face in the antenna for tracking the detected target according to the position data of the detected target and the preset antenna array face tracking area division relationship; wherein the antenna array face tracking area division relationship is obtained by dividing the scanning ranges that are responsible for each of the multiple antenna array faces of the antenna into regions, and different antenna array faces are responsible for tracking different regions; The detection target is tracked through beamforming of the target antenna array.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The coordinate system where the planar antenna array surface is located is set to be consistent with the coordinate system of the detection target.

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