Antenna device integrated with GNSS zeroing

Abstract

The invention discloses an antenna device fused with GNSS zero setting, which relates to the technical field of satellite communication terminals and comprises a transmitting array module, a receiving array module and a GNSS module. The transmitting array module adopts analog beam forming; the receiving array module adopts digital beam forming; and the GNSS module and the receiving array module have the same structure. According to the invention, the antenna array module and the GNSS module employ a highly-integrated integrated upper plate design, thereby reducing the use of cables, and improving the operation stability of the system. The antenna device integrated with the GNSS zeroing function adopts a design similar to a notebook computer, so that the multi-scene use requirements are met, and the use convenience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of satellite communication terminal technology, and more specifically to an antenna device that integrates GNSS nulling. Background Technology

[0002] The deployment of low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations has accelerated the development of low-altitude satellite communications, placing higher demands on the miniaturization and high performance of LEO satellite communication terminals. However, existing LEO satellite communication terminals generally suffer from high costs and heavy weight, making them inconvenient for users to carry. Secondly, the operability and compatibility of these devices are poor, failing to meet the diverse needs of users. Furthermore, existing terminals lack GNSS anti-interference capabilities, resulting in poor interference suppression and a high signal demodulation bit error rate.

[0003] Based on the common technical problems of existing low-orbit satellite communication terminals, there is an urgent need for a satellite terminal that integrates GNSS nulling function, with good interference suppression performance, small size and weight, strong operability and high compatibility. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the above problems, this invention proposes an antenna device integrating GNSS nulling, comprising a transmitting array module, a receiving array module, and a GNSS module.

[0005] The transmitting array module uses analog beamforming; the receiving array module uses digital beamforming; the GNSS module and the receiving array module have the same structure.

[0006] Furthermore, both the GNSS module and the receiver array module include a first antenna unit, a low-noise amplifier, a combiner module, an ADC module, and a first data processing module;

[0007] The low-noise amplifier is connected to the first antenna unit and the combiner module respectively; the combiner module is connected to the ADC module; and the ADC module is connected to the first data processing module.

[0008] Furthermore, the combiner module includes an amplifier, a mixer, and a filter.

[0009] Furthermore, the transmit array module includes a second antenna unit, a power amplifier, a bandpass filter, a phase shifter, an up-conversion module, and a second data processing module;

[0010] The phase shifter is connected in sequence through a bandpass filter, a power amplifier, and a second antenna unit; the second data processing module, the up-conversion module, and the phase shifter are connected in sequence.

[0011] Furthermore, the antenna device for GNSS nulling is located on the first plane of the satellite communication terminal.

[0012] Furthermore, the second plane of the satellite communication terminal includes an antenna control unit, a heat dissipation module, an interface module, a power module, a battery, and a display module;

[0013] The antenna control unit, heat dissipation module, interface module, and display module are all connected to the power module; the battery is connected to the power module.

[0014] Furthermore, the antenna control unit includes a modulation and demodulation module, a routing and switching module, and a microcontroller module.

[0015] Furthermore, the power module includes a power protection circuit, a voltage regulator circuit, and a voltage conversion circuit.

[0016] Another invention provides an antenna device integrating GNSS nulling, comprising: a substrate, a control unit, a frequency conversion unit, an antenna array unit, a power supply unit, a GNSS nulling unit, and a data sensing unit;

[0017] The power supply unit is electrically connected to the power supply port, control unit, frequency converter, antenna array unit, GNSS nulling unit, and data sensing unit;

[0018] The antenna array unit is electrically connected to the control unit and is used to receive and / or transmit radio frequency signals;

[0019] The frequency converter unit is electrically connected to the control unit and is used to adjust the frequency of the signal received by the frequency converter unit;

[0020] The GNSS nulling unit is used to adjust the null position of the antenna beam according to the GNSS signal.

[0021] The data sensing unit, electrically connected to the control unit, is used to collect environmental data of the equipment and output it to the control unit;

[0022] The control unit is used to output control signals based on equipment environmental data;

[0023] The control unit, frequency conversion unit, antenna array unit, power supply unit, GNSS zeroing unit, and data sensing unit are electrically connected and respectively mounted on the substrate.

[0024] Furthermore, the antenna device also includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit);

[0025] The IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) is used to measure the motion attribute data of the antenna device and calculate and determine the state of the antenna device.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0027] (1) This invention innovatively integrates GNSS zeroing function into satellite communication terminal, and the GNSS receiver adopts the same design as the antenna receiving array module, which simplifies the hardware design cost;

[0028] (2) The transmitting array module of the present invention adopts analog beamforming in terms of beamforming, which is different from the digital beamforming of the receiving array module. It does not require the deployment of high-speed digital-to-analog converters in each channel. While ensuring antenna performance, it reduces the complexity of the transmitting array module and reduces hardware overhead and system power consumption. The receiving array module adopts digital beamforming and has multiple independent beams, which can achieve high adaptive anti-interference capability and ensure a low bit error rate of satellite communication signals.

[0029] (3) The antenna array module and GNSS module of the present invention adopt a highly integrated integrated board design, which reduces the use of cables and improves the stability of system operation; and the antenna device of the present invention with integrated GNSS zeroing function adopts a notebook-like design to meet the needs of multiple scenarios and improve the ease of use. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the antenna device for GNSS nulling integration;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the GNSS module and the receiver array module;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the transmitting array module for an antenna device that integrates GNSS nulling;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the first and second planes of an antenna device for GNSS nulling integration;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the data processing logic of the IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit). Detailed Implementation

[0035] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is a radio navigation and positioning system that consists of a constellation of navigation satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO), a ground monitoring / upload system, and user receiving equipment. It provides high-precision position, velocity, and time (PVT) information to users worldwide or in a region 24 / 7, continuously, and in real time.

[0037] GNSS signals serve as the "reference signal" for anti-jamming algorithms. All nulling / adaptive beamforming algorithms must know "which signal is GNSS" to nullify the signal in the direction of interference and maintain gain in the direction of the GNSS satellite. A typical GNSS nulling method involves a Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) that sends the raw IQ data from 4-7 array elements to the anti-jamming processor in real time. The processor internally runs algorithms such as Power Inversion (PI), MVDR, and MUSIC to identify and protect the direction of the GNSS signal. While performing GNSS nulling, the anti-jamming processor must simultaneously ensure that the direction of the communication satellite is not nulled; otherwise, the communication link will be interrupted. When the attitude of the satellite communication terminal changes, the direction of the communication satellite relative to the antenna array (off-axis angle θ and azimuth angle φ) changes. Only the IMU can provide the current attitude (roll, pitch, yaw) of the carrier in milliseconds, thus calculating the real-time pointing of the communication satellite. Then, the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) transmits the calculated real-time pointing information of the communication satellite to the anti-jamming processor as a pointing constraint. The anti-jamming processor outputs the interference-suppressed GNSS signal, which is then used by the GNSS receiver to calculate the PVT (position, velocity, time) and output it to the IMU unit to correct the gyroscope zero bias and add zero bias.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides an antenna device integrating GNSS nulling, including a transmitting array module, a receiving array module, and a GNSS module;

[0039] The transmitting array module uses analog beamforming; the receiving array module uses digital beamforming; the GNSS module and the receiving array module have the same structure.

[0040] Digital beamforming (DBF) connects an independent RF channel and an independent A / D (or D / A) converter to each antenna element. It performs amplitude and phase weighted summation on each signal in the digital domain (usually baseband) to form a beam in the desired direction. It can simultaneously form multiple independent beams of arbitrary shapes (low sidelobes, difference beams, nulls, etc.), possessing strong adaptive anti-interference capabilities, digital calibration capabilities, and extremely high angular resolution / angle measurement accuracy. However, each element requires an independent TR component and a high-speed ADC / DAC, which significantly increases costs for antenna designs with high subarray numbers. Furthermore, large-scale MIMO adaptive algorithms require extremely high baseband computing power.

[0041] Analog beamforming (ABF) is the most traditional, mature, and still widely used beam control method for phased arrays. It achieves beam pointing control entirely at RF or IF using analog devices (phase shifters, adjustable attenuators, power dividers), with the digital end seeing only "one equivalent antenna." Phase shifting is completed at the IF band after the TR module, resulting in higher precision.

[0042] The antenna device for GNSS nulling provided by this invention also includes an optional Tiantong module.

[0043] The transmitting array module, receiving array module, GNSS module, and Tiantong module are integrated into a single PCBA board. The transmitting array module uses four orthogonally arranged antenna elements, and the antennas use the S-band to achieve satellite communication.

[0044] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 2 As shown, both the GNSS module and the receiver array module include a first antenna unit, a low-noise amplifier, a combiner module, an ADC module, and a first data processing module.

[0045] The low-noise amplifier is connected to the first antenna unit and the combiner module respectively; the combiner module is connected to the ADC module; and the ADC module is connected to the first data processing module.

[0046] The low-noise amplifier (LNA) is used to amplify the weak satellite signal received by the antenna unit, with a gain of 25~35dB, raising the weak -130dBm satellite signal to a level that the ADC can sample normally.

[0047] An RF analog power combiner (usually a Wilkinson structure or a resistive 4-in-1) coherently adds four weighted RF signals directly in the analog domain to form an analog beam.

[0048] The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) module digitizes the combined analog intermediate frequency / radio frequency signal. The receiver only needs to design one ADC module, which has a low data rate and is much cheaper and consumes less power than fully digital beamforming.

[0049] The first data processing module is mainly responsible for amplitude / phase weighting of the digital signal after ADC conversion, and completing satellite signal acquisition, tracking and calculation; preferably, the first data processing module can also run anti-interference algorithms, such as spatial nulling, adaptive filtering, STAP, etc.

[0050] Preferably, the first data processing module is an FPGA.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the combiner module includes an amplifier, a mixer, and a filter. The amplifier is preferably a low-noise amplifier (LNA), which pulls the level of the pre-amplified RF signal to the required range of the combiner input (typically with an additional 15-20 dB gain) while providing reverse isolation to prevent crosstalk between combiner ports.

[0052] The amplifier is connected to the mixer and then to the filter; or the filter is placed before the amplifier and then to the mixer; or there are pre- and post-stage filters, i.e., multiple filters, to suppress out-of-band noise interference.

[0053] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, the transmitter array module includes a second antenna unit, a power amplifier, a bandpass filter, a phase shifter, an up-conversion module, and a second data processing module;

[0054] The phase shifter is connected in sequence through a bandpass filter, a power amplifier, and a second antenna unit; the second data processing module, the up-conversion module, and the phase shifter are connected in sequence.

[0055] The baseband signal output from the second data processing module passes sequentially through the up-conversion module, phase shifter, adjustable attenuator BF (Beamformer), power amplifier module, and second antenna unit to realize the transmission of satellite communication signals.

[0056] The second data processing module completes all digital beamforming calculations, including (1) generating digital weighting coefficients for N channels based on the target pointing angle θ; (2) adjusting the weights of the baseband waveform based on the digital weighting coefficients; and (3) outputting N digital baseband signals.

[0057] The upconversion module is used to upconvert the digital baseband signal to an intermediate frequency. Preferably, the upconversion module includes a high-speed digital-to-analog converter (DAC) module and a bandpass filter. The bandpass filter is used to suppress out-of-band spurious signals and improve the cleanliness of the modulated signal.

[0058] The phase shifter is used to precisely phase-shift the intermediate frequency analog signal output from the upconverter module in the analog domain, compensating for residual phase errors, temperature drift, and array element mutual coupling between the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and the power amplifier (PA). Simultaneously, the output signal of the phase shifter is connected to the adjustable attenuator (BF) for low sidelobe weighting, inter-channel amplitude calibration, and dynamic control of transmit power. In practical applications, the combined module of the phase shifter and the adjustable attenuator (BF) forms a beamformer.

[0059] The power amplifier PA amplifies the output signal of the adjustable attenuator BF into a high-power analog radio frequency signal.

[0060] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 4As shown, the antenna device for GNSS nulling is located on the first plane of the satellite communication terminal. The second plane of the satellite communication terminal includes an antenna control unit, a heat dissipation module, an interface module, a power supply module, a battery, and a display module.

[0061] The antenna control unit, heat dissipation module, interface module, and display module are all connected to the power module; the battery is connected to the power module.

[0062] In this embodiment of the invention, the antenna control unit includes a modulation and demodulation module, a routing and switching module, and a microcontroller module;

[0063] The modulation / demodulation module and the routing / switching module are respectively connected to the microcontroller module.

[0064] In this embodiment of the invention, the power module includes a power protection circuit, a voltage regulator circuit, and a voltage conversion circuit; the power protection circuit is connected to the voltage regulator circuit, and the voltage conversion circuit is also connected to the voltage regulator circuit.

[0065] In this embodiment of the invention, the voltage conversion circuit includes a first voltage conversion sub-circuit, a second voltage conversion sub-circuit, a third voltage conversion sub-circuit, a fourth voltage conversion sub-circuit, a fifth voltage conversion sub-circuit, and a sixth voltage conversion sub-circuit;

[0066] The first voltage conversion sub-circuit is used to convert the power supply voltage into a first voltage to power the transmitter array module;

[0067] The second voltage conversion sub-circuit is used to convert the power supply voltage into a second voltage to power the receiving array module.

[0068] The third voltage conversion sub-circuit is used to convert the power supply voltage into a third voltage to power the GNSS module;

[0069] The fourth voltage conversion sub-circuit is used to convert the power supply voltage into a fourth voltage to power the antenna control unit;

[0070] The fifth voltage conversion sub-circuit is used to convert the power supply voltage into a fifth voltage to power the display module;

[0071] The sixth voltage conversion sub-circuit is used to convert the power supply voltage into a sixth voltage to power the Tiantong module.

[0072] By using the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth voltage conversion sub-circuits mentioned above, the transmitting array module, receiving array module, GNSS module, antenna control unit (ACU), Tiantong module, and display module can share a single power supply module, thereby reducing the cost of the power supply module.

[0073] The power protection circuit includes a lightning surge protection circuit, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit, an overvoltage protection circuit, and a reverse connection protection circuit. The specific circuit structures and connections of the lightning surge protection circuit, ESD protection circuit, overvoltage protection circuit, and reverse connection protection circuit can adopt circuit structures and connections known to those skilled in the art, ensuring that they are positioned between the input and output terminals of the protection circuit and can protect the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth voltage conversion sub-circuits when the power supply module experiences an abnormal power supply.

[0074] The display module can be a monitor with touch / press input functionality, or an embedded mobile phone, tablet, or other electronic product. The embedded mobile phone or tablet connects to the antenna control unit (ACU) via wired or wireless connections. Wired connections can be made via USB-C, Type-C, or Lightning-C. Wireless connections can be made via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

[0075] The display module also has the function of wirelessly charging the aforementioned embedded mobile phones or tablets.

[0076] In another embodiment of the present invention, the antenna device includes: a substrate, a control unit, a frequency conversion unit, an antenna array unit, a power supply unit, a GNSS nulling unit, and a data sensing unit;

[0077] The power supply unit is electrically connected to the power supply port, control unit, frequency converter, antenna array unit, GNSS nulling unit, and data sensing unit;

[0078] The antenna array unit is electrically connected to the control unit and is used to receive and / or transmit radio frequency signals;

[0079] The frequency converter unit is electrically connected to the control unit and is used to adjust the frequency of the signal received by the frequency converter unit;

[0080] The GNSS nulling unit is used to adjust the null position of the antenna beam according to the GNSS signal to suppress interference.

[0081] The data sensing unit, electrically connected to the control unit, is used to collect environmental data of the equipment and output it to the control unit;

[0082] The control unit is used to output control signals based on equipment environmental data;

[0083] The control unit, frequency conversion unit, antenna array unit, power supply unit, GNSS zeroing unit, and data sensing unit are electrically connected and respectively mounted on the substrate.

[0084] In embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 5As shown, the antenna device also includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit);

[0085] The data sensing unit includes a GPS positioning sensor and a temperature sensor. The GPS positioning sensor is connected to the control unit and is used to collect GPS positioning data from the satellite communication terminal. The temperature sensor is connected to the control unit and is used to collect temperature data of the current environment and the inside of the equipment.

[0086] The IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) is used to measure the motion attribute data of the antenna device and calculate and determine the state of the antenna device.

[0087] Preferably, the motion attribute data includes the acceleration, angular velocity, and magnetic force data of the antenna device, and the position, velocity, and attitude data of the antenna device are determined by integral calculation.

[0088] Composed of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers, it is used to measure the acceleration, angular velocity, and magnetic force of an object. Through integration calculations, the satellite terminal's position, velocity, and attitude data can be obtained. The satellite communication terminal can then adjust its antenna beam based on the calculated position, velocity, and attitude data to achieve the optimal alignment angle between the antenna beam and the satellite.

[0089] The first and second planes also include a temperature acquisition module, which is used to collect temperature data inside the device. The antenna control unit (ACU) controls the heat dissipation module based on the collected temperature data, such as adjusting the fan speed, so that the device is within a preset temperature threshold range.

[0090] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments described herein are intended to help the reader understand the principles of the invention, and should be understood that the scope of protection of the invention is not limited to such specific statements and embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various other specific modifications and combinations based on the technical teachings disclosed in this invention without departing from the spirit of the invention, and these modifications and combinations are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. An antenna device integrating GNSS nulling, characterized in that, Includes a transmitter array module, a receiver array module, and a GNSS module; The transmitting array module uses analog beamforming; the receiving array module uses digital beamforming; the GNSS module and the receiving array module have the same structure.

2. The antenna device for fusion GNSS nulling according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the GNSS module and the receiver array module include a first antenna unit, a low-noise amplifier, a combiner module, an ADC module, and a first data processing module. The low-noise amplifier is connected to the first antenna unit and the combiner module respectively; the combiner module is connected to the ADC module; and the ADC module is connected to the first data processing module.

3. The antenna device for GNSS nulling according to claim 2, characterized in that, The combiner module includes an amplifier, a mixer, and a filter.

4. The antenna device for fusion GNSS nulling according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmitting array module includes a second antenna unit, a power amplifier, a bandpass filter, a phase shifter, an up-conversion module, and a second data processing module; The phase shifter is connected in sequence through a bandpass filter, a power amplifier, and a second antenna unit; the second data processing module, the up-conversion module, and the phase shifter are connected in sequence.

5. The antenna device for fusion GNSS nulling according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The GNSS nulling antenna device is located on the first plane of the satellite communication terminal.

6. The antenna device for fusion GNSS nulling according to claim 5, characterized in that, The second plane of the satellite communication terminal includes an antenna control unit, a heat dissipation module, an interface module, a power module, a battery, and a display module; The antenna control unit, heat dissipation module, interface module, and display module are all connected to the power module; the battery is connected to the power module.

7. The antenna device for fusion GNSS nulling according to claim 6, characterized in that, The antenna control unit includes a modulation and demodulation module, a routing and switching module, and a microcontroller module.

8. The antenna device for fusion GNSS nulling according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The power module includes a power protection circuit, a voltage regulator circuit, and a voltage conversion circuit.

9. An antenna device integrating GNSS nulling, characterized in that, The antenna device includes: a base plate, a control unit, a frequency conversion unit, an antenna array unit, a power supply unit, a GNSS nulling unit, and a data sensing unit; The power supply unit is electrically connected to the power supply port, the control unit, the frequency conversion unit, the antenna array unit, the GNSS nulling unit, and the data sensing unit. The antenna array unit is electrically connected to the control unit and is used to receive and / or transmit radio frequency signals; The frequency converter is electrically connected to the control unit and is used to adjust the frequency of the signal received by the frequency converter. The GNSS nulling unit is used to adjust the null position of the antenna beam according to the GNSS signal; The data sensing unit is electrically connected to the control unit and is used to collect equipment environmental data and output it to the control unit. The control unit is used to output control signals based on the device environment data; The control unit, frequency conversion unit, antenna array unit, power supply unit, GNSS zeroing unit, and data sensing unit are electrically connected and respectively disposed on the substrate.

10. The antenna device for fusion GNSS nulling according to claim 9, characterized in that, The antenna device also includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit); The IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) is used to measure the motion attribute data of the antenna device and calculate and determine the state of the antenna device.

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