Calculation method and device of flexible array antenna pattern

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of antenna beam forming, and provides a calculation method and device for a flexible array antenna pattern. The method comprises the following steps: receiving an external standard source signal; estimating the position variation of each array element of the flexible array antenna according to the time difference of arrival of each array element for receiving the standard source signal and the direction of arrival of the standard source signal; according to the position variation of each array element, updating the position coordinates of each array element; and determining an antenna pattern according to the updated position coordinates of each array element. According to the invention, the relative deformation quantity of each antenna unit is estimated by using the external standard source signal, so that compensation correction is carried out, namely the array element coordinates are updated, and finally an accurate antenna pattern is formed, so that the accuracy of subsequent signal processing can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of antenna beam forming, and in particular to a method and device for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern. Background Art

[0002] Flexible array antennas are typically attached to conformal carriers. This design holds broad application prospects in fields such as communications, radar, and aerospace. However, since conformal flexible antennas are highly susceptible to carrier vibration, the positions of individual array elements can deviate. Directly applying the pre-defined steering vectors can distort the antenna pattern, shift the main lobe, elevate the side lobes, and dramatically reduce target detection performance. In other words, when the conformal carrier vibrates and deforms, it significantly impacts antenna performance, rendering common beamforming algorithms ineffective. To ensure the proper operation of conformal antennas in practical engineering applications, a deep understanding of the effects of array antenna deformation is required. This requires analyzing the changes in element antenna parameters and array patterns after deformation. This requires a method that can monitor and compensate for antenna deformation in real time.

[0003] In view of this, overcoming the defects of the prior art is an urgent problem to be solved in this technical field. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method and device for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna, so as to obtain an accurate directional pattern of the antenna, thereby ensuring the accuracy of subsequent signal processing.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for calculating a directional pattern of a flexible array antenna, receiving a standard source signal from an external source; the method comprises: The position change of each element of the flexible array antenna is estimated according to the arrival time difference of each element receiving the standard source signal and the wave direction of arrival of the standard source signal; Update the position coordinates of each array element according to the position change of each array element; The antenna pattern is determined based on the updated position coordinates of each array element.

[0006] Preferably, estimating the position change of each array element of the flexible array antenna based on the arrival time difference of each array element receiving the standard source signal and the direction of arrival of the standard source signal specifically includes: Based on the arrival time difference and direction of arrival of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element, the horizontal coordinate position change and the vertical coordinate position change of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element are calculated; The change in the horizontal coordinate position of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element is ; The change in the vertical coordinate position of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element is ; in, , is the spacing between adjacent array elements, is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element, is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by each array element relative to the previous array element when no deformation occurs, is the angle between the arrival direction of the standard source signal and the array normal direction, is the propagation speed of the standard source signal, is the operating wavelength of the standard source signal.

[0007] Preferably, when When , the i-th array element deforms downward relative to the previous array element. , .

[0008] Preferably, when When , the i-th array element deforms upward relative to the previous array element. , .

[0009] Preferably, updating the position coordinates of each array element according to the position change of each array element specifically includes: The horizontal coordinate of the i-1th array element Add the change in the horizontal coordinate position of the i-th array element Get the horizontal coordinate of the i-th array element ; According to the vertical coordinate of the i-1th array element and the change in the vertical coordinate position of the i-th array element , the vertical coordinate of the i-th array element is calculated as , that is, the position coordinates of the i-th array element are ; in, ; is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element.

[0010] Preferably, the updated position coordinates of each array element are .

[0011] Preferably, determining the antenna pattern according to the updated position coordinates of each array element specifically includes: According to the updated position coordinates of each array element, a new target guidance vector is constructed as ; is the working wavelength of the standard source signal; Calculate the beamforming weight vector according to the new target steering vector ; Among them, the interference plus noise covariance matrix , X is the interference and noise signal received by the array, L is the number of sampling snapshots; Determine the antenna pattern based on the beamforming weight vector .

[0012] Preferably, when no deformation occurs, the position coordinates of each array element are (0, 0), (d, 0), ..., ((N-1)d, 0), and the phase difference between two adjacent array elements is , the arrival time lag of each array element relative to the previous array element receiving the standard source signal , is the propagation speed of the standard source signal.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a device for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern, for implementing the method for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern according to the first aspect, the device comprising: At least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the processor to execute the method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern described in the first aspect.

[0014] In a third aspect, the present invention further provides a non-volatile computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are executed by one or more processors to complete the method described in the first aspect.

[0015] In a fourth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface, for calling and running a computer program stored in a memory, and executing any method of the first aspect.

[0016] In a fifth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer or a processor, causes the computer or the processor to execute any of the methods of the first aspect.

[0017] The present invention estimates the relative deformation of each antenna unit by utilizing an external standard source signal, thereby performing compensation correction, that is, updating the array element coordinates, and ultimately forming an accurate antenna radiation pattern, thereby ensuring the accuracy of subsequent signal processing (such as sidelobe and interference suppression). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a flow chart of a method for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a standard source signal in a method for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a standard source signal reaches each array element after deformation; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of an array element after a standard source signal reaches the array element after being deformed upward in a method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a standard source signal reaches an array element after downward deformation; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the positions of the array elements when no deformation occurs in a method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of normalized gain obtained by using the original antenna pattern when each array element is not deformed in a method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the positions of each array element after deformation in a method for calculating a directional pattern of a flexible array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of normalized gain obtained by using the original antenna pattern after each array element is deformed in a method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of normalized gain obtained by using the antenna pattern calculated by this embodiment after each array element is deformed in a method for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 It is a time domain diagram of the signal received after each array element is deformed in an actual application scenario; Figure 12 This is a time domain image obtained by directly performing time domain filtering in an actual application scenario without using the method of this embodiment for processing; Figure 13 This is a time domain image obtained by processing with the method of this embodiment and then performing time domain filtering in an actual application scenario; Figure 14 The present invention provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a device for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0021] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term "including" is to be interpreted as meaning open inclusion, that is, "including, but not limited to". In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" and the like are intended to indicate that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics associated with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. In addition, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be included in any one or more embodiments or examples in any appropriate manner, that is, although they may be carried in the embodiments or examples of the above terms due to reasons such as the order and position of appearance, it is not limited to that they can be carried in combination by one embodiment or example.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0023] In the description of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more. In addition, for example, the description may also use the method of adding "A" and "B" at the end to describe the same type of nouns as two independent individuals. In this case, the corresponding features defined as "A" and "B" are only used to distinguish the description purposes of the same type of individuals, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, the expression "A and / or B" (where A and B are used to formally represent specific characteristic contents) is involved, and the corresponding expressions include the following three combinations: only A, only B, and a combination of A and B.

[0025] As used herein, "about," "substantially," or "approximately" includes the stated value and an average value that is within an acceptable range of deviation from the particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the measurements in question and errors associated with measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., limitations of the measurement system).

[0026] In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0027] Embodiment 1: Since conformal flexible antennas are extremely susceptible to carrier vibration, when the conformal carrier of a flexible array antenna vibrates and deforms, the positions of the array elements will deviate, which will have a significant impact on the antenna performance. If the previous steering vector is directly applied, the antenna pattern will be distorted, the main lobe will be offset, the side lobes will be raised, and the target detection performance will drop sharply. In order to solve this problem, embodiment 1 of the present invention provides a method for calculating the pattern of a flexible array antenna, which receives a standard source signal from an external source; Figure 1 As shown, the method includes: In step 201, the position change of each element of the flexible array antenna is estimated based on the arrival time difference of each element receiving a standard source signal and the direction of arrival of the standard source signal; the standard source signal can be regarded as a known signal. In subsequent embodiments, the standard source signal is also referred to as an external standard source signal.

[0028] In step 202, the position coordinates of each array element are updated according to the position change of each array element.

[0029] In step 203, the antenna pattern is determined according to the updated position coordinates of each array element.

[0030] In actual use, the standard source signal may be sent by an external preset device, such as a BeiDou signal sent by a BeiDou satellite. The arrival time difference refers to the difference between the arrival times of the standard source signal received by two array elements.

[0031] This embodiment utilizes a standard source signal to estimate the relative deformation of each antenna element, thereby performing compensation correction, that is, updating the array element coordinates, and ultimately forming an accurate antenna pattern, thereby ensuring the accuracy of subsequent signal processing (such as sidelobe and interference suppression). In addition, in this embodiment, the flexible conformal array antenna can dynamically adjust and adapt as the shape changes, and has better adaptability to vibration and shape changes caused by aerodynamics, heating and cooling of the aircraft.

[0032] Among them, it is assumed that when no deformation occurs, Figure 2 As shown, the position coordinates of each array element are (0, 0), (d, 0), ..., ((N-1)d, 0), and the phase difference between two adjacent array elements is , the arrival time lag of each array element relative to the previous array element receiving the standard source signal , is the propagation speed of the standard source signal, is the working wavelength of the standard source signal. The schematic diagram of the standard source signal reaching each array element after deformation is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, it can be seen that the arrival time difference has changed. Therefore, this embodiment provides an implementation method: estimating the position change of each element of the flexible array antenna based on the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by each element and the wave direction of arrival of the standard source signal specifically includes: According to the arrival time difference and direction of arrival of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element, the horizontal coordinate position change and vertical coordinate position change of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element are calculated; the horizontal coordinate position change of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element is The change in the vertical coordinate position of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element is ; , is the spacing between adjacent array elements, is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element, is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by each array element relative to the previous array element when no deformation occurs, is the angle between the arrival direction of the standard source signal and the array normal direction, is the propagation speed of the standard source signal.

[0033] Among them, when When , the i-th array element deforms downward relative to the previous array element, as shown in Figure 5 As shown, , .

[0034] when When , the i-th array element deforms upward relative to the previous array element, as shown in Figure 4 As shown, , It can be understood as: draw a perpendicular line on the extension line of the direction of arrival of the standard source signal from the previous array element to the i-th array element, and the intersection of the perpendicular line and the extension line (i.e. Figure 4 or Figure 5 Point A in the middle), the position of the previous element (i.e. Figure 4 or Figure 5 The point O in the middle) and the intersection of the extended line and the horizontal axis of the coordinate (i.e. Figure 4 or Figure 5 The three points form a vertical triangle (i.e. Figure 4 or Figure 5 △OAM in ), and the position of the previous array element corresponds to the angle in the vertical triangle (i.e. Figure 4 or Figure 5 ∠MOA) is (i.e., direction of arrival), the length of the hypotenuse of the vertical triangle is d, so that the distance between the position of the i-th array element before deformation (i.e., point M) and the intersection of the vertical line and the extended line (i.e., point A) can be calculated as: , the distance is the difference between the distance the standard source signal needs to travel to reach the i-th array element and the distance it needs to travel to reach the previous array element when no deformation occurs. Therefore, That is, when deformation occurs, the arrival time difference between the standard source signal reaching the corresponding array element and the previous array element. By using this time difference to measure the arrival time difference between adjacent array elements, the deformation direction of the array element can be determined, and the degree of deformation, that is, the position change, can be calculated.

[0035] It should be noted that the aforementioned previous array element does not refer to a specific array element, but is relative to another array element object. For example, in the above-mentioned "arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element", the previous array element is described relative to the i-th array element, that is, the previous array element here refers to the array element before the i-th array element. Assuming that the array elements are the 1st array element, the 2nd array element, ..., the Nth array element in order, the previous array element is the (i-1)th array element.

[0036] In an actual application scenario, updating the position coordinates of each array element according to the position change of each array element specifically includes: Update the position coordinates of each array element in turn; among them, the horizontal coordinate of the i-1th array element Add the change in the horizontal coordinate position of the i-th array element Get the horizontal coordinate of the i-th array element ; According to the vertical coordinate of the i-1th array element and the change in the vertical coordinate position of the i-th array element , the vertical coordinate of the i-th array element is calculated as , that is, the position coordinates of the i-th array element are ;in, ; is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element. The position of the 0th array element is taken as the coordinate origin, that is, the position coordinate of the 0th array element is , then the updated position coordinates of each array element are .

[0037] In an optional implementation, determining the antenna pattern according to the updated position coordinates of each array element specifically includes: According to the updated position coordinates of each array element, a new target guidance vector is constructed as ; is the operating wavelength of the standard source signal.

[0038] Calculate the beamforming weight vector according to the new target steering vector ; Among them, the interference plus noise covariance matrix , X is the interference and noise signal received by the array, and L is the number of sampling snapshots.

[0039] Determine the antenna pattern based on the beamforming weight vector .

[0040] This embodiment uses standard source signals to estimate the relative deformation of each antenna unit and perform compensation correction, including reconstructing the array model, updating the array element coordinates, correcting the steering vector, and dynamically calculating the array weight value to ultimately form the antenna pattern.

[0041] Example 2: The present invention is based on the method described in Example 1, combined with specific application scenarios, and uses technical descriptions in related scenarios to illustrate the implementation process of the present invention in characteristic scenarios.

[0042] This embodiment provides a method for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern, including: The position change of the flexible array antenna elements (i.e., the position change amount) is estimated by using the external standard source signal and the arrival time difference and wave direction of each array element receiving the external standard source signal; the array model is reconstructed and the coordinates of each array element are updated; the steering vector is corrected according to the new coordinates, and the array weight value is dynamically calculated to form the antenna radiation pattern.

[0043] The method of estimating the position change of the array elements of the flexible array antenna by using the external standard source signal and the arrival time difference and the direction of arrival of each array element receiving the external standard source signal specifically includes: using the received external standard source signal as a reference signal, and calculating the position change of each array element of the antenna according to the arrival time difference and the direction of arrival of each array element receiving the signal.

[0044] The reconstructing of the array model and updating of array element coordinates specifically include: On the basis of the undeformed state, the previously calculated array element position change is added to obtain the changed array element position coordinates. The array element positions need to be updated one by one, and the subsequent array element position update is closely related to the previous array element position.

[0045] The method of correcting the steering vector according to the new coordinates and dynamically calculating the array weighting value to form the antenna radiation pattern specifically includes: using the new position information of the array elements to construct a target signal steering vector, and dynamically calculating the array weighting vector, such as the weighting vector of the Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) algorithm, to form the antenna radiation pattern.

[0046] The received external standard source signal mainly refers to the BeiDou signal, which is used as a reference signal to calculate the position change of each element of the antenna after deformation as follows: For ease of understanding, it is assumed that the antenna array before the conformal carrier is deformed is a uniformly arranged linear array, such as Figure 2 As shown, the spacing between adjacent array elements is d, and the operating wavelength is , a total of N array elements, the angle between the receiving and array normal direction is The external standard source signal is taken as the reference element, and the phase difference between the two adjacent elements is The time when a certain array element receives the radiation source signal is always delayed compared to the time when the previous array element receives the signal. , the position coordinates of each array element are (0, 0), (d, 0), ..., ((N-1)d, 0).

[0047] If the conformal carrier is deformed, the linear array will become a curve, such as Figure 3The position of a receiving element can be calculated based on the time difference between the time when a receiving element receives the external standard source signal and the time difference between the time when the previous and next elements receive the signal, and the direction of the external standard source signal. Here, we take the S-band radar as an example for calculation and analysis, assuming that the angle between the external standard source signal and the array normal is , the clockwise angle is positive, the counterclockwise angle is negative, here the angle is positive for analysis, because the radar working wavelength is at the centimeter level, the bending degree of the array due to vibration and other reasons is not large, the bending curve of adjacent array elements can be approximated as a straight line, take the i-th array element as an example for analysis, and other array elements are analogous, if the time difference between the array element receiving the external standard source signal and the previous array element is ,like , it indicates that the array element is bent downward relative to the previous array element; if , it means that the array element is bent upward relative to the previous array element. The rectangular coordinate system is established with the previous array element as the origin. The distance between the i+1th array element and the ith array element is OP=d, AP= , distinguish the upward bending and downward bending of the array elements for calculation, respectively as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, according to the trigonometric theorem, the upward deformation position can be obtained and The length is:

[0048]

[0049] The downward deformation position can be calculated as and The length is:

[0050]

[0051] In summary, we can get:

[0052]

[0053] in .

[0054] The above calculation adds the previously calculated array element position change to the undeformed basis to obtain the changed array element position coordinates. The array element position needs to be updated one by one, and the subsequent array element position update is closely related to the previous array element position. The calculation method is as follows: The rectangular coordinate system is established with the first array element as the coordinate origin. The position change of the second array element can be calculated according to the above method. Similarly, assuming that the position coordinates of the i-1th array element are calculated after deformation, , the time difference between the received signal of the i-th array element and the i-1-th array element is , then the position coordinates of the i-th array element are ,in . Then the position of each element in the entire array after the change is .

[0055] In some embodiments, the method of utilizing the new position information of the array element to construct the target signal steering vector and dynamically calculating the beamforming weighting vector, such as the weighting vector of the MVDR algorithm, specifically includes: Each time beamforming is performed, a new target steering vector is constructed based on the deformed array element position:

[0056] Dynamically calculate the beamforming weight vector, such as the weight vector of the MVDR algorithm:

[0057] Among them, the interference plus noise covariance matrix , X is the interference and noise signal received by the array, and L is the number of sampling snapshots.

[0058] The resulting antenna pattern can be expressed as:

[0059] In an actual application scenario, the method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern described in this embodiment includes the following steps: (1) Estimate the position change of the array element of the flexible array antenna using the external standard source signal and the arrival time difference and direction of arrival of each array element receiving the standard source signal. In one embodiment, this step specifically includes: estimating the vertical and horizontal coordinate position change of the array element relative to the previous array element based on the time difference and direction of arrival of the array element receiving the external standard source signal relative to the previous array element:

[0060]

[0061] in .

[0062] (2) Reconstruct the array model and update the array element coordinates. In one embodiment, this step specifically includes: adding the previously calculated array element position change to the undeformed basis to obtain the changed array element position coordinates. The array element positions need to be updated one by one, and the subsequent array element position update is closely related to the previous array element position. The i-th array element position coordinate is ,in . Then the position of each element in the entire array after the change is .

[0063] (3) According to the new coordinates, the steering vector is corrected, and the array weight value is dynamically calculated to form the antenna pattern. In one embodiment, each time the beam is formed, a new target steering vector is constructed based on the deformed array element position. , dynamically calculate the beamforming weight vector, such as the weight vector of the MVDR algorithm is , where the interference plus noise covariance matrix is , X is the interference and noise signal received by the array, and L is the number of sampling snapshots.

[0064] The resulting antenna pattern can be expressed as:

[0065] like Figure 6 The figure shows the position diagram of each array element when no deformation occurs in the actual application scenario. At this time, the normalized gain spectrum line diagram obtained by the original antenna pattern is as follows: Figure 7 As shown in the figure, under the influence of the environment, the position diagram of each element of the flexible array antenna after deformation is shown in the figure. Figure 8 As shown, at this time, if the original antenna pattern is still used, the normalized gain spectrum line diagram is obtained as follows Figure 9 As shown in the figure, it can be seen that the original antenna pattern is no longer applicable after the flexible array antenna is deformed. Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the normalized gain spectrum corresponding to the antenna pattern calculated in this embodiment. It can be seen that under the antenna pattern obtained by the method of this embodiment, the normalized gain spectrum can be compensated and restored to the state before deformation, that is, the antenna pattern obtained in this embodiment has high accuracy, can achieve a more stable antenna beam, and achieve better target detection performance.

[0066] For example, assume that the flexible array antenna is a uniform linear array before deformation, with 10 elements, the target direction and the array normal angle is 10 degrees, the jammer releases dense false target interference, the interference direction and the array normal angle is 30 degrees, the signal-to-noise ratio is 5dB, the interference-to-noise ratio is 50dB, the number of range gates is 1000, the target is located at the 500th range gate, and the interference is located at the 200th, 300th, 400th, 500th, 600th, 700th, and 800th range gates respectively. After the flexible antenna is affected by the carrier vibration, it deforms, and the position of each element after deformation changes as shown below: Figure 8 shown.

[0067] After deformation, the time domain diagram of the signal received by the array (including target signal and interference) is as follows: Figure 11 As shown in the figure, the target is completely covered by the interference. After the array antenna is deformed, the target guidance vector is not corrected by using an external radiation source. The MVDR algorithm is used for time domain filtering. Figure 12As shown in the figure, it can be seen that although the interference suppression is relatively clean, the target loss is large and the target cannot be effectively detected. After using the method described in this embodiment to correct the target guidance vector using an external radiation source, the MVDR algorithm time domain filtering diagram is shown in the figure. Figure 13 As shown in the figure, it can be seen that while the interference is effectively suppressed, the target energy output in the time domain is high, and the target can be effectively detected (i.e., the signal at 500 range gate positions).

[0068] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention utilize an external standard source signal to estimate the relative deformation of each antenna unit, perform compensation and correction, reconstruct the array model, update the array element coordinates, correct the steering vector, dynamically calculate the array weights, and form an antenna pattern. This allows for a more stable antenna beam and improved target detection performance when the conformal carrier vibrates. Specifically, when the common carrier to which the flexible antenna is attached deforms, the external standard source signal and the arrival time difference and direction of arrival of each array element receiving the standard source signal are used to estimate the position change of the array elements of the flexible array antenna. The array model is then reconstructed, and the coordinates of each array element are updated. Finally, the steering vectors are corrected based on the new coordinates, and the array weights are dynamically calculated to form an antenna pattern. Simulation results demonstrate that, when the conformal carrier vibrates, the use of the external standard source signal can effectively estimate the position change of the array elements, achieving a more stable antenna beam and improved target detection performance.

[0069] Example 3: like Figure 14 FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a flexible array antenna pattern calculation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flexible array antenna pattern calculation device according to this embodiment includes one or more processors 21 and a memory 22. Figure 14 A processor 21 is taken as an example.

[0070] The processor 21 and the memory 22 may be connected via a bus or other means. Figure 14 The bus connection is taken as an example.

[0071] The memory 22, as a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, can be used to store non-volatile software programs and non-volatile computer-executable programs, such as the method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern in Example 1. The processor 21 executes the method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern by running the non-volatile software programs and instructions stored in the memory 22.

[0072] The memory 22 may include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state memory device. In some embodiments, the memory 22 may optionally include a memory remotely located relative to the processor 21, and such remote memory may be connected to the processor 21 via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0073] The program instructions / modules are stored in the memory 22 , and when executed by the one or more processors 21 , the method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 is executed.

[0074] It is worth noting that the information interaction, execution process, etc. between the modules and units within the above-mentioned devices and systems are based on the same concept as the processing method embodiment of the present invention. The specific content can be found in the description of the method embodiment of the present invention and will not be repeated here.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the embodiments can be completed by instructing related hardware through a program, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may include: read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0076] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern, characterized in that: Receiving a standard source signal from an external source; the method includes: The position change of each element of the flexible array antenna is estimated according to the arrival time difference of each element receiving the standard source signal and the wave direction of arrival of the standard source signal; Update the position coordinates of each array element according to the position change of each array element; The antenna pattern is determined based on the updated position coordinates of each array element.

2. The method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The estimating the position change of each array element of the flexible array antenna according to the arrival time difference of each array element receiving the standard source signal and the wave arrival direction of the standard source signal specifically includes: Based on the arrival time difference and direction of arrival of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element, the horizontal coordinate position change and the vertical coordinate position change of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element are calculated; The change in the horizontal coordinate position of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element is ; The change in the vertical coordinate position of the i-th array element relative to the previous array element is ; in, , is the spacing between adjacent array elements, is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element, is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by each array element relative to the previous array element when no deformation occurs, is the angle between the arrival direction of the standard source signal and the array normal direction, is the propagation speed of the standard source signal.

3. The method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna according to claim 2, wherein: when When , the i-th array element deforms downward relative to the previous array element. , .

4. The method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna according to claim 2, wherein: when When , the i-th array element deforms upward relative to the previous array element. , .

5. The method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The updating of the position coordinates of each array element according to the position change of each array element specifically includes: The horizontal coordinate of the i-1th array element Add the change in the horizontal coordinate position of the i-th array element Get the horizontal coordinate of the i-th array element ; According to the vertical coordinate of the i-1th array element and the change in the vertical coordinate position of the i-th array element , the vertical coordinate of the i-th array element is calculated as , that is, the position coordinates of the i-th array element are ; in, ; is the arrival time difference of the standard source signal received by the i-th array element relative to the previous array element.

6. The method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna according to claim 5, wherein: The updated position coordinates of each array element are .

7. The method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The determining of the antenna pattern according to the updated position coordinates of each array element specifically includes: According to the updated position coordinates of each array element, a new target guidance vector is constructed as ; is the working wavelength of the standard source signal; Calculate the beamforming weight vector according to the new target steering vector ; Among them, the interference plus noise covariance matrix , X is the interference and noise signal received by the array, L is the number of sampling snapshots; Determine the antenna pattern based on the beamforming weight vector .

8. The method for calculating the directional pattern of a flexible array antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: When no deformation occurs, the position coordinates of each array element are (0, 0), (d, 0), ..., ((N-1)d, 0), and the phase difference between two adjacent array elements is , the arrival time lag of each array element relative to the previous array element receiving the standard source signal , is the propagation speed of the standard source signal, is the operating wavelength of the standard source signal.

9. A device for calculating a flexible array antenna pattern, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; And, a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the processor to execute the method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. A non-volatile computer storage medium, characterized in that The computer storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which are executed by one or more processors to complete the method for calculating the flexible array antenna pattern according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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