Automatic fault positioning method for multi-oscillator phased-array antenna communication system

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-oscillator phased-array antenna communication system fault automatic positioning method, belongs to the technical field of electronic communication system fault automatic detection, and specifically designs and realizes a scheme of arranging a simple BIT circuit and combining a multi-oscillator phased-array antenna working principle to carry out full radio frequency link fault automatic accurate positioning. According to the scheme, ground resistance detection, radio frequency signal coupling detection and multi-channel signal cross phase comparison technologies are used, calculation of fault positions is carried out through software, and the fault positioning scheme which is low in cost and high in efficiency is achieved. A fault can be positioned to a specific antenna oscillator, a communication line between an antenna and a host, a transmitting and receiving channel change-over switch, a receiving unit, a transmitting unit and a processor unit, only corresponding parts need to be replaced during maintenance, replacement and factory return maintenance of the whole system are avoided, the maintenance efficiency of related systems is greatly improved, and the maintenance cost is reduced. And the system operation and maintenance cost is finally reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automatic fault detection in electronic communication systems, and in particular to an automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system. Background Technology

[0002] Most current radio communication systems use phased array antennas composed of multiple elements to measure the azimuth of communication targets. Phased array antennas used for direction finding typically have three or more elements, such as... Figure 1 As shown, each element in the system has a transmitting unit and a receiving unit at its rear end, and the elements are connected to the main unit via coaxial lines or microstrip lines. The fixed arrangement of the antenna elements will create a specific phase difference for a radio signal of a certain frequency. When multiple elements simultaneously receive radio signals transmitted by the target, there is a fixed relationship between the target's azimuth and the phase difference of the received signal. The target's azimuth can be obtained by calculating the phase difference of the radio signal for the same target. When one or more RF links fail, the system's target azimuth measurement function will fail, causing the system to malfunction. Ordinary fault location methods can only identify a single link failure at most, requiring manual inspection to pinpoint the specific fault location. Manually locating faults for precise component-level replacement is extremely difficult, demands highly skilled operators, and incurs significant overall costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, this application provides an automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system, which solves the problems in the prior art and improves the fault location accuracy and fault detection efficiency of the system.

[0004] The automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system provided in this application adopts the following technical solution: An automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system includes: Step 1: Determine if the processor unit of the multi-element phased array antenna communication system is faulty. If the processor unit is faulty, the system is determined to be unable to work properly, and the processor is repaired. Step 2: If the processor unit is normal, the ground resistance values ​​of the antenna vibrator and the host communication line are measured sequentially. If the ground resistance deviates from the design value by more than a threshold, the corresponding communication line fault is sent to the processor unit, and the communication line fault is recorded in the processor unit. Step 3: Detect the transmit / receive channel switching switch in the system, send fault information of the transmit / receive channel switching switch to the processor unit, and the processor unit records the fault of the transmit / receive channel switching switch. Step 4: Define the link with normal transmit / receive channel switching as the first link, switch the transmit / receive channel switching of each first link to the transmitting end, and transmit the test signal of the preset waveform of each first link. Detect the signal power and period coupled out of the first link's transmitting unit. If the detected data does not match the preset test signal, send the corresponding transmitting unit's fault information to the processor unit. The processing unit records the fault of the transmitting unit. Step 5: Define the link where the communication line and transceiver channel switch are normal but the transmitting unit is faulty as the second link, and define the link where the communication line, transceiver channel switch, and transmitting unit are normal as the third link. Sequentially switch the transceiver channel switch of one third link to the transmitting end and transmit a test signal with a preset waveform and power. At the same time, switch the transceiver channel switches of the other third links and all second links to the receiving end, receive the signal, and calculate the phase delay and received power. Based on the received signal calculation results of the third and second links in the receiving state, determine whether the antenna vibrator of the third link in the transmitting state is normal, and whether the receiving unit of the third and second links in the receiving state is normal, and send the corresponding fault information to the processor unit.

[0005] Optionally, in step 2, by adding a ground resistance detection circuit to each link of the system host, adding a fixed voltage to the side of the communication line closer to the host, collecting the voltage divider value to calculate and measure the ground resistance, and comparing the measured value with the preset ground resistance value to determine whether the difference exceeds a set threshold, it can be determined whether the communication line of each link is normal.

[0006] Optionally, in step 3, the transceiver channel switching switch has a channel switching indication function. Each transceiver channel switching switch is switched to the transmitting end and then to the receiving end in sequence. The channel switching indication signal is compared with the actual control. If they are inconsistent, the transceiver channel switching switch is judged to be faulty.

[0007] Optionally, in step 4, an RF coupling detection circuit is added between each transmitting unit and the transceiver channel switching switch to couple a portion of the transmitting unit's transmission signal to the detection circuit. The power and frequency of the coupled signal are measured and calculated to determine whether the transmitting unit is working properly.

[0008] Optionally, in step 5, if the third link and the second link in the receiving state cannot receive a signal or the received signal power and phase are abnormal, the corresponding abnormal value of the receiving channel of the third link and the second link is increased by 1. If the abnormal values ​​of the receiving channels of the third link and the second link in the receiving state are all increased by 1, then the antenna vibrator fault of the third link in the transmitting state is reported. At the same time, the abnormal values ​​of the receiving channels of the third link and the second link in the receiving state are all decreased by 1, and a report of all receiving unit faults with abnormal values ​​of the receiving channels of the third link and the second link > 1 is sent to the processor unit.

[0009] Optionally, the processor unit uploads the fault information recorded in a complete self-test to a remote server via a communication interface.

[0010] In summary, this application includes the following beneficial technical effects: 1. This application provides an automatic fault location method for radio communication or navigation systems using multi-element phased array antennas, which can perform equipment fault self-checks periodically or remotely when system anomalies are detected, or can manually trigger fault self-checks on-site. 2. The method of this application automatically detects and locates faults, eliminating the need for professional personnel to manually troubleshoot faults, reducing the requirements for maintenance personnel, and improving system operation and maintenance efficiency; 3. This application can accurately isolate and locate the fault to a sufficiently small component, avoiding the need for complete replacement and return to the factory for repair after a system failure, thus reducing system operation and maintenance costs; 4. This application can manually connect to the server via information technology to summarize multiple system faults, help to dynamically replenish the inventory of various components, and facilitate cluster-based overall operation and maintenance management; 5. The relevant systems are often deployed in remote locations or on airborne platforms, and the relevant systems emit radio radiation. This solution avoids manual fault detection, which can reduce the probability of personnel danger caused by manual detection. 6. Utilizing the inherent characteristics of multi-element phased array antennas, a multi-channel cross-checking method is used to perform multiple phase comparison checks, reducing the number of BIT test points and lowering the hard costs increased by self-checking. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic block diagram of the multi-element phased array antenna communication system of this application; Figure 2A block diagram illustrating the principle of the BIT (Block Interchange) configuration of the multi-element phased array antenna communication system of this application; Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the principle of multi-link cross-checking in the multi-element phased array antenna communication system of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. This application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0015] It should be noted that various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this application, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0016] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this application. The illustrations only show the components related to this application and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0017] Furthermore, specific details are provided in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the described aspects can be practiced without these specific details.

[0018] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the figure, this application provides an automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system.

[0019] The multi-element phased array antenna communication system includes multiple antenna elements E1-En, communication lines L1-Ln between the antenna elements and the host, which are coaxial cables or microstrip lines, transmit / receive channel switching switches SW-R / T1-SW-R / Tn, receiving units 1-n, transmitting units 1-n, and a processor unit.

[0020] An automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system includes: Step 1: Determine if the processor unit of the multi-element phased array antenna communication system is faulty. If the processor unit is faulty, the system is determined to be unable to work properly, and the processor is repaired.

[0021] Step 2: If the processor unit is normal, the ground resistance values ​​of the antenna vibrator and the host communication line are measured sequentially. If the ground resistance deviates from the design value by more than a threshold, the corresponding communication line fault is sent to the processor unit, and the communication line fault is recorded in the processor unit.

[0022] Step 3: Detect the transmit / receive channel switching switch in the system, send fault information of the transmit / receive channel switching switch to the processor unit, and the processor unit records the fault of the transmit / receive channel switching switch.

[0023] Step 4: Define the link where the communication line and transceiver channel switching switch are all normal as the first link. Switch the transceiver channel switching switch of each first link to the transmitting end. The transmitting unit of each first link transmits a test signal with a preset waveform. Detect the coupled signal power and period of the transmitting unit of the first link. If the detected data does not match the preset test signal, send the corresponding fault information of the transmitting unit to the processor unit. The processing unit records the fault of the transmitting unit.

[0024] Step 5: Perform a multi-link cross-check: Define the link where the communication line and transceiver channel switch are normal but the transmitting unit is faulty as the second link, and define the link where the communication line, transceiver channel switch, and transmitting unit are normal as the third link. Sequentially switch the transceiver channel switch of one third link to the transmitting end and transmit a test signal with a preset waveform and power. At the same time, switch the transceiver channel switches of the other third links and all second links to the receiving end, receive the signal, and calculate the phase delay and received power. Based on the received signal calculation results of the third and second links in the receiving state, determine whether the antenna vibrator of the third link in the transmitting state is normal, and whether the receiving unit of the third and second links in the receiving state is normal, and send the corresponding fault information to the processor unit.

[0025] The processor unit uploads the fault information recorded in a complete self-test to the remote server through the communication interface.

[0026] In step 2, by adding a ground resistance detection circuit to each link of the system host, a fixed voltage is added to the side of the communication line closer to the host, and the ground resistance is calculated and measured by collecting the voltage divider value. The measured value is compared with the preset ground resistance value. If the difference exceeds the set threshold, it can be determined whether the communication line of each link is normal.

[0027] In step 3, the transceiver channel switching switch has a channel switching indication function. Each transceiver channel switching switch is switched to the transmitting end and then to the receiving end in sequence. The channel switching indication signal is compared with the actual control. If they are inconsistent, the transceiver channel switching switch is judged to be faulty.

[0028] In step 4, an RF coupling detection circuit is added between each transmitting unit and the transceiver channel switching switch to couple a portion of the transmitting unit's transmission signal to the detection circuit. The power and frequency of the coupled signal are measured and calculated to determine whether the transmitting unit is working properly.

[0029] In step 5, if the third link and the second link in the receiving state cannot receive a signal or the received signal power and phase are abnormal, the corresponding abnormal value of the receiving channel of the third link and the second link is increased by 1. If the abnormal values ​​of the receiving channels of the third link and the second link in the receiving state are all increased by 1, then the antenna vibrator of the third link in the transmitting state is reported as faulty. At the same time, the abnormal values ​​of the receiving channels of the third link and the second link in the receiving state are all decreased by 1, and a report of receiving unit faults with abnormal values ​​of all third link and second link receiving channels > 1 is sent to the processor unit.

[0030] After identifying all faults, repair or replace the faulty links, and then perform the fault detection and isolation steps from steps 1 to 5 above on the repaired or replaced links.

[0031] This application designs and implements a scheme for automatic and accurate fault location of the entire radio frequency link by deploying a simple bit circuit and combining it with the working principle of a multi-element phased array antenna. The scheme uses technologies such as ground resistance detection, radio frequency signal coupling detection, and multi-channel signal cross-phase comparison. The fault location is calculated by software, achieving low cost and high fault location efficiency. Figure 1 As shown, this method can pinpoint the system's radio frequency link fault to a specific antenna element, the specific communication line between the antenna and the host, the specific transceiver channel switching switch, the specific receiving unit, the specific transmitting unit, and the processor unit. During maintenance, only these six components need to be replaced, avoiding the replacement of the entire system and return to the factory for repair. This greatly improves the maintenance efficiency of the relevant system and ultimately reduces the system's operation and maintenance costs.

[0032] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for automatic fault location in a multi-element phased array antenna communication system, characterized in that, include: Step 1: Determine if the processor unit of the multi-element phased array antenna communication system is faulty. If the processor unit is faulty, the system is determined to be unable to work properly, and the processor is repaired. Step 2: If the processor unit is normal, the ground resistance values ​​of the antenna vibrator and the host communication line are measured sequentially. If the ground resistance deviates from the design value by more than a threshold, the corresponding communication line fault is sent to the processor unit, and the communication line fault is recorded in the processor unit. Step 3: Detect the transmit / receive channel switching switch in the system, send fault information of the transmit / receive channel switching switch to the processor unit, and the processor unit records the fault of the transmit / receive channel switching switch. Step 4: Define the link with normal transmit / receive channel switching as the first link, switch the transmit / receive channel switching of each first link to the transmitting end, and transmit the test signal of the preset waveform of each first link. Detect the signal power and period coupled out of the first link's transmitting unit. If the detected data does not match the preset test signal, send the corresponding transmitting unit's fault information to the processor unit. The processing unit records the fault of the transmitting unit. Step 5: Define the link where the communication line and transceiver channel switch are all normal but the transmitting unit is faulty as the second link, and define the link where the communication line, transceiver channel switch and transmitting unit are all normal as the third link. Sequentially switch the transceiver channel switch of one third link to the transmitting end and transmit a test signal with a preset waveform and power. At the same time, switch the transceiver channel switches of the other third links and all second links to the receiving end, receive the signal and calculate the phase delay and received power. Based on the received signals from the third and second links in the receiving state, determine whether the antenna vibrator of the third link in the transmitting state is normal, and whether the receiving units of the third and second links in the receiving state are normal, and send the corresponding fault information to the processor unit.

2. The automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 2, by adding a ground resistance detection circuit to each link of the system host, a fixed voltage is added to the side of the communication line closer to the host, and the ground resistance is calculated and measured by collecting the voltage divider value. The measured value is compared with the preset ground resistance value. If the difference exceeds the set threshold, it can be determined whether the communication line of each link is normal.

3. The automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 3, the transceiver channel switching switch has a channel switching indication function. Each transceiver channel switching switch is switched to the transmitting end and then to the receiving end in sequence. The channel switching indication signal is compared with the actual control. If they are inconsistent, the transceiver channel switching switch is judged to be faulty.

4. The automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 4, an RF coupling detection circuit is added between each transmitting unit and the transceiver channel switching switch to couple a portion of the transmitting unit's transmission signal to the detection circuit. The power and frequency of the coupled signal are measured and calculated to determine whether the transmitting unit is working properly.

5. The automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 5, if the third link and the second link in the receiving state cannot receive a signal or the received signal power and phase are abnormal, the corresponding abnormal value of the receiving channel of the third link and the second link is increased by 1. If the abnormal values ​​of the receiving channels of the third link and the second link in the receiving state are all increased by 1, then the antenna vibrator of the third link in the transmitting state is reported as faulty. At the same time, the abnormal values ​​of the receiving channels of the third link and the second link in the receiving state are all decreased by 1, and a report of receiving unit faults with abnormal values ​​of all third link and second link receiving channels > 1 is sent to the processor unit.

6. The automatic fault location method for a multi-element phased array antenna communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processor unit uploads the fault information recorded in a complete self-test to the remote server through the communication interface.

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