Large-scale triple array calibration system and method based on angular deviation

Abstract

The invention discloses a large-scale triple array calibration system and method based on angular deviation. The calibration system comprises an antenna switching system, a signal source, a calibration module, a three-axis turntable and a calibration device, the calibration module is respectively connected with the antenna switching system, the signal source, the three-axis turntable and the calibration device; the antenna switching system, the signal source, the three-axis turntable and the calibration device are arranged in the darkroom; the calibration device is used for calibrating the electrical position, the initial amplitude phase, the amplitude precision and the phase precision of the antenna in the radio frequency antenna array in the darkroom. According to the invention, the calibration efficiency of the radio frequency antenna array can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of microwave automatic testing, and particularly to a large-scale triple array calibration system and method based on angular deviation. Background Art

[0002] With the development of electronic devices and radio frequency simulation technology, the demand for simulating complex electromagnetic environments in microwave anechoic chambers is increasing, especially for the functional performance requirements of simulating moving targets. Usually, in a microwave anechoic chamber, to simulate a high-precision and fast-moving radiation source target, a triple array antenna technology system is adopted, and the output signal amplitude of the triple antennas is adjusted to control the target signal to appear at different positions. To meet the simulation accuracy of the target position, it is required that the aperture surfaces of all triple antennas are equiphase surfaces and the output amplitude can be accurately controlled. Therefore, it is necessary to calibrate all triple antennas, and the calibration content mainly includes the calibration of the initial amplitude and phase values of each antenna branch, amplitude accuracy, and phase accuracy.

[0003] In CN105676226A "A Radio Frequency Array Antenna Calibration Device", a calibration device is disclosed, which solves the ranging simulation problem and improves the ranging accuracy by installing a laser ranging component. However, it does not involve the calibration method and technology of triple radio frequency array antennas. CN109495189B "An Array Antenna Calibration Method and Device" discloses a calibration method and device for calibrating an innate array in an open environment, but does not involve the calibration method of triple radio frequency array antennas in a dark room environment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application provides a large-scale triple array calibration system and method based on angular deviation. By combining a three-axis turntable and designing a calibration module, the initial amplitude and phase calibration, as well as the full-automatic calibration and calibration of amplitude accuracy and phase accuracy, are performed on a relatively large number of array antennas, thereby improving the calibration efficiency.

[0005] This application discloses a large-scale triple array calibration system based on angular deviation, which includes an antenna switching system, a signal source, a calibration module, a three-axis turntable, and a calibration device; the calibration module is respectively connected to the antenna switching system, the signal source, the three-axis turntable, and the calibration device; the antenna switching system, the signal source, the three-axis turntable, and the calibration device are placed in a dark room; the calibration device is used to calibrate the electrical position, initial amplitude and phase, amplitude accuracy, and phase accuracy of the antennas in the radio frequency antenna array located in the dark room.

[0006] Further, the calibration module is used to receive the synthesized target position, generate a signal source control instruction, a radiation signal acquisition control signal, a target position, and an instruction for controlling the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position according to the synthesized target position, send the signal source control instruction to the signal source, send the radiation signal acquisition control signal to the calibration device, send the target position to the antenna switching system, and send the instruction for controlling the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position to the three-axis turntable; The signal source is used to generate an excitation signal for the RF antenna array according to the received signal source control instruction, and input the excitation signal into the antenna switching system; The antenna switching system is used to complete antenna unit switching and provide an input signal for the antennas of the RF antenna array according to the received excitation signal and target position; The three-axis turntable is used to rotate according to the received instruction for controlling the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position; The calibration device collects the signals radiated by the RF antenna array in the anechoic chamber according to the received radiation signal acquisition control signal, and completes the calibration of the antenna electrical position, initial amplitude-phase, amplitude accuracy, and phase accuracy of the antennas of the RF antenna array.

[0007] The present application also discloses a large-scale triple array calibration method based on angular deviation, which is applicable to the large-scale triple array calibration system based on angular deviation described above, and includes: Step 1: Calibrate the antenna electrical position; Step 2: Calibrate the initial amplitude-phase of the antenna; Step 3: Calibrate the amplitude accuracy of the antenna; Step 4: Calibrate the phase accuracy of the antenna.

[0008] Further, the step 1 includes: Select all the channels to be measured of the antenna array, perform electrical position pointing measurement on the array antenna. During the test, place the calibration device on the three-axis turntable, and control the three-axis turntable to rotate automatically so that the calibration device points to the calibration point on the RF antenna array. The calibration device receives the RF signal radiated by the RF array antenna through its front-end antenna, measures and calculates the actual antenna electrical position of the RF antenna array through the amplitude comparison and phase comparison angle measurement principle, and combines the antenna position output by the calibration module to calculate the angle deviation value between the antenna electrical position and the antenna position output by the calibration module.

[0009] Further, the step 2 includes: The operation calibration module controls the automatic rotation of the three-axis turntable to make the calibration device point to the calibration point on the RF antenna array. The calibration device collects the signals output by the antennas of the RF antenna array, and the vector network analyzer performs amplitude and phase comparison on the collected signals. The calibration module obtains the measurement results of the vector network analyzer in real time to form the initial amplitude-phase data of the RF array antenna.

[0010] Further, step 3 includes: Select the same calibration point on the RF antenna array, and sequentially control different channels of each antenna of the RF antenna array to radiate signals from this calibration point. The calibration module controls the rotation of the three-axis turntable to make the calibration device point to the antenna where this calibration point is located. The calibration module controls the digital attenuator in the channel of the antenna where the calibration point is located to perform amplitude control, and the vector network analyzer collects the signals in the channel for amplitude comparison measurement, so as to obtain the amplitude accuracy of the RF array antenna.

[0011] Further, step 4 includes: Select the same calibration point on the RF antenna array, and sequentially control different channels of each antenna of the RF antenna array to radiate signals from this calibration point. The calibration module controls the rotation of the three-axis turntable to make the calibration device point to the antenna where this calibration point is located. The calibration module controls the phase shifter in the channel of the antenna where the calibration point is located to perform phase control, and the vector network analyzer collects the signals in the channel for phase comparison measurement, so as to obtain the phase accuracy of the RF array antenna.

[0012] Further, after step 4, it further includes: The calibration module sorts out the electrical position, initial amplitude-phase, amplitude accuracy, and phase accuracy of the RF antenna array to form a corrected calibration data table for the synthesis of the RF antenna array target.

[0013] Further, the RF antenna array is a triple array, and the triple array is arranged in an equilateral triangle.

[0014] Due to the adoption of the above technical solutions, the present application has the following advantages: The calibration method of the present application uses a calibration device based on angular deviation measurement for calibration and positioning, and uses a frequency-sweeping method for calibration. The main effects are reflected in the following aspects: 1. The present application combines a three-axis turntable and designs a calibration module to perform initial amplitude-phase calibration and full-automatic calibration and calibration of amplitude accuracy and phase accuracy on an array antenna with a large quantity scale, realizing the improvement of calibration efficiency; 2. The principle of the angular position deviation (angle deviation value) calculation method is mature, the scanning point positioning is fast, the test operation is simple, the signal fluctuation is small, and the calibration data measurement accuracy is high; 3. During the initial amplitude-phase accuracy test process, the scanning array automatically runs and calculates, greatly improving the data operation time; 4. Ensure that the working state during the array calibration scan is the same as that during the target synthesis simulation of the triple array and the measurement method, and the synthesized value of the calibration scan data is closer to the working value during actual use. Description of the Drawings

[0015] 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 described below are only some of the embodiments recorded in the embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of a large-scale triple array calibration system based on angular deviation for an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 It is a schematic flowchart of a large-scale triple array calibration based on angular deviation for an embodiment of the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0017] The present application will be further described in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. 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 shall fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

[0018] See Figure 1 , the present application provides an embodiment of a large-scale triple array calibration method based on angular deviation, which includes an antenna switching system, a signal source, a calibration module, a three-axis turntable, and a calibration device; the calibration module is respectively connected to the antenna switching system, the signal source, the three-axis turntable, and the calibration device; the antenna switching system, the signal source, the three-axis turntable, and the calibration device are placed in a darkroom; the calibration device is used to calibrate the electrical position, initial amplitude and phase, amplitude accuracy, and phase accuracy of the antennas in the radio frequency antenna array located in the darkroom.

[0019] Optionally, the calibration module is used to receive the synthesized target position, generate a signal source control instruction, a radiation signal acquisition control signal, a target position, and an instruction to control the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position according to the synthesized target position, send the signal source control instruction to the signal source, send the radiation signal acquisition control signal to the calibration device, send the target position to the antenna switching system, and send the instruction to control the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position to the three-axis turntable; The signal source is used to generate an excitation signal for the radio frequency antenna array according to the received signal source control instruction and input the excitation signal into the antenna switching system; The antenna switching system is used to complete antenna unit switching and provide an input signal for the antennas in the radio frequency antenna array according to the received excitation signal and target position; The three-axis turntable rotates according to the received instruction for controlling the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position. The calibration device acquires a control signal based on the received radiation signal, acquires the signal radiated by the RF antenna array in the anechoic chamber, and completes the calibration of the antenna electrical position, initial amplitude-phase, amplitude accuracy, and phase accuracy of the RF antenna array.

[0020] See Figure 2 , this application also provides an embodiment of a large-scale triple array calibration method based on angular deviation, which is applicable to the large-scale triple array calibration system described in the above embodiment, and includes: Step 1: Calibrate the antenna electrical position (i.e., the physical position of the electrical center); Step 2: Calibrate the initial amplitude-phase of the antenna; Step 3: Calibrate the amplitude accuracy of the antenna; Step 4: Calibrate the phase accuracy of the antenna.

[0021] Optionally, the step 1 includes: Select all the channels to be tested of the antenna array, perform electrical position pointing measurement on the array antenna. During the test, place the calibration device on the three-axis turntable, and control the three-axis turntable to automatically rotate so that the calibration device points to the calibration point on the RF antenna array. The calibration device receives the RF signal radiated by the RF array antenna through its front-end antenna, measures and calculates the actual antenna electrical position of the RF antenna array through the amplitude comparison and phase comparison angle measurement principle, and combines the antenna position output by the calibration module to calculate the angle deviation value between the antenna electrical position and the antenna position output by the calibration module.

[0022] Optionally, the step 2 includes: Operate the calibration module, control the three-axis turntable to automatically rotate so that the calibration device points to the calibration point on the RF antenna array. The calibration device acquires the signal output by the antenna of the RF antenna array, performs amplitude comparison and phase comparison on the acquired signal through a vector network analyzer. The calibration module real-time obtains the measurement results of the vector network analyzer to form the initial amplitude-phase data of the RF array antenna.

[0023] Optionally, the step 3 includes: Select the same calibration point on the RF antenna array, sequentially control different channels of each antenna of the RF antenna array to radiate signals from this calibration point. The calibration module controls the three-axis turntable to rotate so that the calibration device points to the antenna where this calibration point is located, controls the digital control attenuator in the channel of the antenna where the calibration point is located through the calibration module to perform amplitude control, and the vector network analyzer acquires the signals in the channel for amplitude comparison measurement, so as to obtain the amplitude accuracy of the RF array antenna.

[0024] Optionally, the step 4 includes: Select the same calibration point on the RF antenna array, and successively control different channels of each antenna of the RF antenna array to radiate signals from this calibration point. The calibration module controls the rotation of the three-axis turntable so that the calibration device points to the antenna where this calibration point is located. The phase shifter in the channel of the antenna where the calibration point is located is controlled for phase control through the calibration module, and the vector network analyzer collects the signals in the channel for phase comparison measurement, so as to obtain the phase accuracy of the RF array antenna.

[0025] Optionally, after step 4, it further includes: The calibration module sorts out the electrical position, initial amplitude-phase, amplitude accuracy and phase accuracy of the RF antenna array to form a corrected calibration data table for the target synthesis of the RF antenna array.

[0026] Optionally, the RF antenna array is a triple array, and the triple array is arranged in an equilateral triangle.

[0027] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and not to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: modifications or equivalent replacements can still be made to the specific implementation manners of the present application, and any modification or equivalent replacement that does not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application should be covered within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A large-scale triple array calibration system based on angular deviation, characterized in that It includes an antenna switching system, a signal source, a calibration module, a three-axis turntable, and a calibration device; the calibration module is respectively connected to the antenna switching system, the signal source, the three-axis turntable, and the calibration device; the antenna switching system, the signal source, the three-axis turntable, and the calibration device are placed in a darkroom; the calibration device is used to calibrate the electrical position, initial amplitude-phase, amplitude accuracy, and phase accuracy of the antennas in the RF antenna array located in the darkroom.

2. The large-scale triple array calibration system based on angular deviation according to claim 1, wherein The calibration module is used to receive the synthesized target position, generate a signal source control instruction, a radiation signal acquisition control signal, a target position, and an instruction to control the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position according to the synthesized target position, send the signal source control instruction to the signal source, send the radiation signal acquisition control signal to the calibration device, send the target position to the antenna switching system, and send the instruction to control the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position to the three-axis turntable; The signal source is used to generate an excitation signal for the RF antenna array according to the received signal source control instruction and input the excitation signal into the antenna switching system; The antenna switching system is used to complete antenna unit switching and provide an input signal for the antennas in the RF antenna array according to the received excitation signal and target position; The three-axis turntable is used to rotate according to the received instruction to control the three-axis turntable to rotate and point to the target position; The calibration device collects the signals radiated by the RF antenna array in the darkroom according to the received radiation signal acquisition control signal and completes the calibration of the electrical position, initial amplitude-phase, amplitude accuracy, and phase accuracy of the antennas in the RF antenna array.

3. A large-scale triple array calibration method based on angular deviation, applicable to the large-scale triple array calibration system based on angular deviation described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It includes: Step 1: Calibrate the electrical position of the antenna; Step 2: Calibrate the initial amplitude-phase of the antenna; Step 3: Calibrate the amplitude accuracy of the antenna; Step 4: Calibrate the phase accuracy of the antenna.

4. The calibration method of a large-scale triple array based on angular deviation according to claim 3, characterized in that, The said Step 1 includes: Select all the channels to be measured in the antenna array, conduct electrical position pointing measurement on the array antennas. During the test, place the calibration device on the three-axis turntable, control the three-axis turntable to rotate automatically so that the calibration device points to the calibration points on the RF antenna array. The calibration device receives the RF signals radiated by the RF array antennas through its front-end antenna, measures and calculates the actual electrical position of the RF antenna array through the amplitude comparison and phase comparison angle measurement principle, and combines the antenna position output by the calibration module to calculate the angle deviation value between the electrical position of the antenna and the antenna position output by the calibration module.

5. The large-scale triple array calibration method based on angular deviation according to claim 3, characterized in that, The said Step 2 includes: Operate the calibration module, control the three-axis turntable to rotate automatically so that the calibration device points to the calibration points on the RF antenna array. The calibration device collects the signals output by the antennas in the RF antenna array, conducts amplitude comparison and phase comparison on the collected signals through a vector network analyzer. The calibration module obtains the measurement results of the vector network analyzer in real time to form the initial amplitude-phase data of the RF array antennas.

6. The large-scale triple array calibration method based on angular deviation according to claim 3, wherein The said Step 3 includes: Select the same calibration point on the RF antenna array, and sequentially control different channels of each antenna of the RF antenna array to radiate signals from this calibration point. The calibration module controls the rotation of the three-axis turntable so that the calibration device points to the antenna where the calibration point is located. The calibration module controls the digital attenuator in the channel of the antenna where the calibration point is located to perform amplitude control, and the vector network analyzer collects the signals in the channel to perform amplitude comparison measurement, so as to obtain the amplitude accuracy of the RF array antenna.

7. The large-scale triple array calibration method based on angular deviation according to claim 3, characterized in that The step 4 includes: Select the same calibration point on the RF antenna array, and sequentially control different channels of each antenna of the RF antenna array to radiate signals from this calibration point. The calibration module controls the rotation of the three-axis turntable so that the calibration device points to the antenna where the calibration point is located. The calibration module controls the phase shifter in the channel of the antenna where the calibration point is located to perform phase control, and the vector network analyzer collects the signals in the channel to perform phase comparison measurement, so as to obtain the phase accuracy of the RF array antenna.

8. The calibration method for large-scale triple array based on angular deviation according to claim 3, characterized in that, After the step 4, it further includes: The calibration module sorts out the electrical position, initial amplitude and phase, amplitude accuracy and phase accuracy of the RF antenna array to form a corrected calibration data table for the synthesis of the RF antenna array target.

9. The calibration method for large-scale triple array based on angular deviation according to any one of claims 3-8, characterized in that, The RF antenna array is a triple array, and the triple array is arranged in an equilateral triangle.

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