Phased array radio frequency receiving front end and phased array antenna array

Abstract

The invention discloses a phased array radio frequency receiving front end and a phased array antenna array, and relates to the technical field of antennas, the phased array radio frequency receiving front end comprises a low noise amplifier used for connecting antenna units of an antenna array surface; a one-to-two power divider for generating a first output signal and a second output signal; an azimuth synthesis network or a pitch synthesis network; and an amplitude-phase controller. Wherein the antenna array surface comprises m rows and n columns of antenna units; the number of the azimuth synthesis networks is m, the ith azimuth synthesis network is used for synthesizing first output signals corresponding to all the antenna units in the ith row to form m paths of azimuth synthesis signals, the number of the pitch synthesis networks is n, and the jth pitch synthesis network is used for synthesizing second output signals corresponding to all the antenna units in the jth column to form m paths of azimuth synthesis signals; and n paths of pitching composite signals are formed. According to the invention, the cost and complexity of the phased array radio frequency receiving front end and the phased array antenna array are effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to a phased array radio frequency receiving front end and a phased array antenna array. Background Technology

[0002] Phased array antenna systems achieve rapid beam scanning, shaping, and multi-beamforming by controlling the amplitude and phase of signals in each antenna element within the array. The core performance of this system largely depends on its radio frequency (RF) front-end. The RF front-end is responsible for providing signal transmission, reception, amplitude, and phase control functions for each antenna element.

[0003] To achieve superior performance, such as wide scanning range, low sidelobe levels, high gain, and flexible multi-beam capability, traditional phased array antenna systems typically employ a "full-component" architecture, where each antenna element in the array is configured with an independent RF channel. Each channel includes a power amplifier, low-noise amplifier, phase shifter, attenuator, and related control circuitry. For a two-dimensional planar array consisting of m rows and n columns of antenna elements, the total number of required RF channels is... This architecture enables independent and precise control of the signal of each element, thus theoretically achieving optimal radiation pattern performance and beam flexibility. However, its drawbacks are also significant: as the number of antenna elements increases, the number of RF channels increases linearly, leading to a sharp increase in the complexity, power consumption, and especially manufacturing cost of the entire system.

[0004] To reduce the complexity and cost of the RF front-end, the industry has proposed a variety of simplification schemes, the most representative of which are sparse arrays and orthogonal arrays. However, both of these introduce serious performance problems. Sparse arrays reduce the number of required RF channels by selectively removing some antenna elements from a regular grid array or distributing the elements aperiodically across the aperture. However, the aperiodic arrangement of elements in a sparse array causes energy that should be concentrated on the main lobe to leak and disperse throughout the entire angular domain, resulting in high background sidelobe levels. The overall radiation pattern of a sparse array is extremely sensitive to changes in its element position, excitation amplitude, and phase. When individual elements fail or experience performance drift, it can cause severe distortion of the radiation pattern, resulting in poor system robustness.

[0005] Orthogonal arrays use a row and a column to form an "L-shaped" or "cross-shaped" orthogonal array, increasing the number of radio frequency channels from... Reduce to However, the effective aperture area of ​​an orthogonal array is much smaller than that of a full array with the same number of elements, resulting in lower gain and wider beam. The radiation pattern of an orthogonal array can be regarded as the product of the radiation patterns of two linear arrays. In the off-axis region (such as the diagonal direction), it will produce higher sidelobes, which will limit its scanning capability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a phased array radio frequency receiving front-end and a phased array antenna array, solving the problem of how to reduce the cost and complexity of the phased array radio frequency receiving front-end.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution: In a first aspect, a phased array radio frequency receiver front end is provided, comprising: A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The antenna array comprises m rows and n columns of antenna elements; The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, ..., m; The elevation synthesis network is configured to have n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2,…, n.

[0008] Secondly, a phased array antenna array is provided, comprising: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n.

[0009] Thirdly, a phased array antenna active analog array is provided, comprising: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n; A simulated beamforming network is connected to the output of the amplitude and phase controller; An analog-to-digital converter is connected to the output of the analog beamforming network; A digital signal processor is connected to the output of the analog-to-digital converter.

[0010] Fourthly, a phased array antenna active digital array is provided, comprising: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n; An analog-to-digital converter is connected to the output of the amplitude-phase controller; A digital beamforming network is connected to the output of the analog-to-digital converter; A digital signal processor is connected to the output of the digital beamforming network.

[0011] The phased array RF receiver front-end provided by this invention reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while ensuring the performance of a phased array antenna system, such as high gain, low sidelobes, and wide scanning range. This is achieved by reducing the number of RF channels from... Reducing it to m+n lowers system complexity, power consumption, and manufacturing costs; through The array elements are arranged at equal intervals in a two-dimensional direction, which not only ensures the antenna gain but also reduces the manufacturing complexity. The received signal is split into two and then azimuth synthesis and elevation synthesis and amplitude and phase control are performed separately, which ensures the phased array's full-space scanning capability and beamforming flexibility. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the azimuth principle of the phased array radio frequency receiving front-end provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the elevation principle of the phased array radio frequency receiving front-end provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0013] To further illustrate the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve its intended purpose, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application are clearly described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0014] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0015] The steps described in this application and the flowcharts in the accompanying drawings are not necessarily strictly executed according to the step numbers; the execution order of the steps can be changed. Furthermore, certain steps can be omitted, multiple steps can be combined into one step, and / or one step can be broken down into multiple steps.

[0016] This specification provides a phased array radio frequency receiving front end and also relates to a phased array antenna array. The following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0017] Please see Figure 1-2 This application provides a phased array radio frequency receiver front end, including: A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The antenna array comprises m rows and n columns of antenna elements; The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, ..., m; The elevation synthesis network is configured to have n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2,…, n.

[0018] The phased array RF receiver front-end of this application reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while ensuring the performance of a phased array antenna system, such as high gain, low sidelobes, and wide scanning range. This is achieved by increasing the number of RF channels from... Reducing it to m+n lowers system complexity, power consumption, and manufacturing costs; through The array elements are arranged at equal intervals in a two-dimensional direction, which not only ensures the antenna gain but also reduces the manufacturing complexity. The received signal is split into two and then azimuth synthesis and elevation synthesis and amplitude and phase control are performed separately, which ensures the phased array's full-space scanning capability and beamforming flexibility.

[0019] This application combines the m-row azimuth signal and n-column elevation signal separately before performing amplitude and phase control, instead of performing amplitude and phase control on all signals first and then combining them. A 1-to-2 power divider is used to obtain the azimuth and elevation information of each antenna element; the number of stages in the power divider is also fixed. Compared to the traditional "all-component" architecture of phased arrays, this application can ensure the performance of the phased array antenna system while reducing the number of RF channels from... Further reducing the number of expensive RF devices to m+n significantly reduces the system complexity, power consumption and manufacturing cost. Compared with sparse arrays, this application has the advantages of low sidelobes, strong radiation pattern performance and robustness, and simple processing. Compared with orthogonal arrays, this application has the advantages of high gain, wide scanning range and high flexibility in beamforming.

[0020] For example, the following description uses a two-dimensional planar array composed of 8×4 antenna elements, where 8 is the number of rows and 4 is the number of columns. Let i be the antenna element located at the position of the i-th row and j-th column, where i and j are both arbitrary positive integers, i takes the value of 1, 2, ..., 8, and j takes the value of 1, 2, ..., 4.

[0021] The antenna unit receives electromagnetic wave signals. A low-noise amplifier amplifies the power of the received RF signal. A 1-to-2 power divider distributes the RF signal with equal amplitude and phase, with output ports P1 and P2 respectively. The azimuth combining network selects the four P1 signals from the i-th row after being divided by the 1-to-2 power divider and combines them. The elevation combining network selects the eight P2 signals from the j-th column after being divided by the 1-to-2 power divider and combines them. The amplitude and phase controller controls the amplitude and phase of the combined signal from either the azimuth or elevation combining network.

[0022] The two-dimensional planar array forms 8 azimuth composite signals through 8 azimuth composite networks and 4 elevation composite signals through 4 elevation composite networks, so the number of radio frequency channels is 8+4.

[0023] Corresponding to the above-described phased array radio frequency receiver front-end component embodiments, this application provides a phased array antenna array, including: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n.

[0024] The phased array antenna array described above achieves the same technical effects as the phased array radio frequency receiving front-end embodiment described above, and will not be repeated here to avoid repetition.

[0025] Corresponding to the above-described phased array RF receiver front-end embodiments, this application provides a phased array antenna active analog array, including: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n; A simulated beamforming network is connected to the output of the amplitude and phase controller; An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is connected to the output of the analog beamforming network; A digital signal processor (DSP) is connected to the output of the analog-to-digital converter.

[0026] The active analog phased array antenna described above achieves the same technical effects as the phased array RF receiver front-end embodiment described above, and will not be repeated here to avoid repetition.

[0027] Corresponding to the above-described phased array RF receiver front-end embodiments, this application provides a phased array antenna active digital array, including: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n; An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is connected to the output of the amplitude-phase controller; A digital beamforming network is connected to the output of the analog-to-digital converter; A digital signal processor (DSP) is connected to the output of the digital beamforming network.

[0028] The active digital array of the phased array antenna described above achieves the same technical effects as the phased array radio frequency receiving front-end embodiment described above. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0029] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0030] It is understood that the embodiments of this application have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. As those skilled in the art will know, various changes or equivalent substitutions can be made to these features and embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art, under the guidance or instruction of this application, can modify these features and embodiments to adapt to specific situations and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims of this application are protected by this invention.

Claims

1. A phased array radio frequency receiver front end, characterized in that, include: A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The antenna array comprises m rows and n columns of antenna elements; The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, ..., m; The elevation synthesis network is configured to have n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2,…, n.

2. A phased array antenna array, characterized in that, include: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n.

3. An active analog phased array antenna, characterized in that, include: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n; A simulated beamforming network is connected to the output of the amplitude and phase controller; An analog-to-digital converter is connected to the output of the analog beamforming network; A digital signal processor is connected to the output of the analog-to-digital converter.

4. An active digital phased array antenna, characterized in that, include: An antenna array, which consists of m rows and n columns of antenna elements; A low-noise amplifier connected to one of the antenna elements in the antenna array is used to amplify the power of the radio frequency signal received by the antenna element. The output of the low-noise amplifier is connected to a 1-to-2 power divider, which is used to divide the amplified radio frequency signal into equal amplitude and phase to generate a first output signal and a second output signal. The 1-to-2 power divider is connected to the azimuth synthesis network or the pitch synthesis network; The outputs of both the azimuth synthesis network and the elevation synthesis network are connected to an amplitude and phase controller, which is used to control the amplitude and phase of the synthesized signal. The azimuth synthesis network is configured to have m networks, wherein the i-th azimuth synthesis network is used to synthesize the first output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the i-th row to form m azimuth synthesis signals, where i = 1, 2, …, m; The elevation synthesis network is configured with n networks, wherein the j-th elevation synthesis network is used to synthesize the second output signal corresponding to all antenna elements in the j-th column to form n-channel elevation synthesis signals, where j=1, 2, …, n; An analog-to-digital converter is connected to the output of the amplitude-phase controller; A digital beamforming network is connected to the output of the analog-to-digital converter; A digital signal processor is connected to the output of the digital beamforming network.

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