Phased-array antenna rapid calibration test system based on full-closed-loop hardware triggering

Abstract

The invention discloses a phased-array antenna rapid calibration test system based on full-closed-loop hardware triggering, and relates to the technical field of antennas. Comprising a main control industrial personal computer, an FPGA hardware trigger controller, a vector network analyzer VNA, a DAC signal generator, a six-axis precision mechanical arm, a microwave probe arranged on the six-axis precision mechanical arm, a high-precision double-axis rotary table and a phased-array antenna to be tested arranged on the high-precision double-axis rotary table. The FPGA hardware trigger controller is connected with the main control industrial personal computer, the vector network analyzer VNA, the DAC signal generator, the six-axis precision mechanical arm and the high-precision double-axis rotary table through a special hardware trigger bus. According to the method, nanosecond synchronous triggering and real-time closed-loop verification of multiple devices are realized, and triggering delay and synchronization errors are greatly reduced, so that the test precision and efficiency are remarkably improved, and the inherent defects of a traditional software triggering method are effectively overcome.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to a rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering. Background Technology

[0002] Rapid calibration and testing of phased array antennas is of great significance for ensuring their beam pointing accuracy and stability in high-performance systems such as hypersonic missile seekers.

[0003] Existing technologies primarily employ software-triggered multi-device collaborative testing methods, where an industrial control computer issues commands to schedule each test device to execute sequentially. Firstly, software triggering suffers from significant latency, as commands require operating system scheduling and device response, resulting in millisecond-level delays. This latency severely impacts system real-time performance and testing efficiency in high-speed testing. Secondly, poor synchronization among multiple devices is problematic, with time offsets existing between the robotic arm, vector network analyzer, and DAC, leading to data acquisition mismatches and introducing measurement errors. Furthermore, testing efficiency is low, with single-point testing being time-consuming, making it difficult to meet the engineering-grade batch testing requirements of large-scale antenna arrays. The serial execution method further limits the overall testing speed. Finally, the measurement signal-to-noise ratio decreases, and synchronization errors cause phase jitter, affecting high-precision measurements of small-angle pointing accuracy, a problem particularly pronounced in complex electromagnetic environments.

[0004] Therefore, a rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering is provided to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering. By using fully closed-loop hardware triggering, ultra-high precision time synchronization and extremely low latency triggering are achieved among multiple devices, thereby solving the problems of large software triggering delay, poor synchronization, and low efficiency in existing phased array antenna calibration and testing.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering, comprising a main industrial control computer, an FPGA hardware trigger controller, a vector network analyzer (VNA), a DAC signal generator, a six-axis precision robotic arm, a microwave probe mounted on the six-axis precision robotic arm, a high-precision dual-axis turntable, and a phased array antenna under test mounted on the high-precision dual-axis turntable. The FPGA hardware trigger controller is connected to the main industrial control computer, the VNA, the DAC signal generator, the six-axis precision robotic arm, and the high-precision dual-axis turntable via a dedicated hardware trigger bus.

[0007] Preferably, the main industrial control computer is used to execute initialization test tasks and receive test data through an independent communication link, and load test task packages, which specifically include test angle sequences. Excitation frequency list and the trigger timing configuration table, in which, The serial number indicates the test angle. This represents the total number of test angles. Indicates pitch angle, The azimuth angle is indicated, and the trigger timing configuration table is pre-stored in the RAM of the FPGA hardware trigger controller.

[0008] Preferably, the FPGA hardware trigger controller is used to construct a fully closed-loop hardware trigger link or to perform closed-loop verification and retries.

[0009] Preferably, when the FPGA hardware trigger controller is used to construct a fully closed-loop hardware trigger link, it generates a global rising edge trigger StartPulse and splits the rising edge trigger StartPulse into multiple triggers. The rising edge trigger StartPulse is transmitted to the vector network analyzer (VNA) through the delay compensation module of the FPGA hardware trigger controller, to the controller of the six-axis precision robotic arm through the frequency divider of the FPGA hardware trigger controller, to the DAC signal generator, and to the controller of the high-precision dual-axis turntable.

[0010] Preferably, the FPGA hardware trigger controller performs closed-loop verification and retry through its built-in data feedback verification module, specifically including the following steps: Step 1: Monitor the "Done" feedback from the six-axis precision robotic arm, high-precision dual-axis rotary table, DAC signal generator, and VNA vector network analyzer. If any device fails to respond within the timeout period, the FPGA hardware trigger controller will initiate retry logic. The retry logic will be triggered no more than 3 times; otherwise, the corresponding test position will be... Mark it as an exception and log it; Step 2: Perform synchronization accuracy verification on the six-axis precision robotic arm, high-precision dual-axis rotary table, DAC signal generator, and vector network analyzer (VNA). The specific synchronization accuracy verification formula is set as follows: ; in, This represents the actual measured synchronization time difference. This indicates the maximum allowed synchronization time difference of the system. The value range is set to 10ns-1us; Step 3: Summarize all test locations Using amplitude and phase data, construct a beam pointing error matrix. And direct the beam toward the error matrix. The output is a calibration lookup table (LUT), which generates a fast calibration database and a beam pointing error matrix. This indicates that at a pitch angle of... azimuth angle is Operating frequency is Under the test conditions, the error value between the actual beam pointing and the ideal beam pointing of the phased array antenna under test.

[0011] Preferably, a six-axis precision robotic arm, a high-precision dual-axis turntable, a DAC signal generator, and a vector network analyzer (VNA) are used to synchronously perform data acquisition. After the FPGA hardware trigger controller is activated, the six-axis precision robotic arm moves the microwave probe to the test position. A high-precision dual-axis turntable synchronously adjusts the attitude, a DAC signal generator outputs a specific excitation signal, which is specifically set as a linear frequency modulated pulse, and a vector network analyzer (VNA) acquires S-parameters and phase information within a precise time window.

[0012] Preferably, the trigger delay model of the FPGA hardware trigger controller is specifically set as follows: ; ; ; in, This indicates software scheduling delay. Indicates bus transmission delay. This indicates the hardware-triggered propagation delay.

[0013] Preferably, the test efficiency gain model of the FPGA hardware trigger controller is specifically set as follows: ; in, Indicates the open-loop time. Indicates the time consumed by the fully closed-loop hardware trigger. This represents the software scheduling and triggering latency required to complete a single point of test. This indicates the hardware triggering and synchronization time required to complete a single-point test. Indicates the physical operation time of the equipment. This indicates the efficiency gain in a single-point test.

[0014] Therefore, the present invention employs the above-mentioned rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering, which has the following beneficial effects: (1) This solution achieves ultra-low latency system response. The trigger signal transmission time is strictly controlled within 100ns, thereby ensuring the real-time data acquisition during high-speed testing. Through the hardware-level triggering mechanism, the millisecond-level delay introduced by software scheduling is effectively avoided, significantly improving the overall response speed of the system. (2) This solution has excellent multi-device synchronization accuracy. The timing deviation between each execution unit can be stably less than 10ns, ensuring the consistency of data acquisition time. The precision timing control and closed-loop verification mechanism based on FPGA effectively eliminates the measurement error caused by asynchronous device response, and improves the reliability of pointing accuracy measurement. (3) This solution significantly improves testing efficiency. Compared with the traditional software triggering method, the single-point testing time is greatly shortened and the overall testing speed can be increased by 4-6 times. Through the closed-loop hardware triggering and parallel execution mechanism, the testing process is streamlined, which can better meet the batch and rapid calibration requirements of large-scale phased array antennas. (4) This solution has strong anti-interference capabilities. It uses a dedicated hardware trigger bus to build a closed-loop link, which effectively isolates the jitter and blocking problems that may exist in general networks. The hardware-level signal transmission and feedback verification mechanism ensures the stability and reliability of system triggering and data acquisition in complex electromagnetic environments. (5) This solution has good system integration and scalability, supports seamless integration with automated production lines, and realizes full automation of the calibration and testing process.

[0015] The method of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering, according to the present invention.

[0017] The components include: 1. Main industrial control computer; 2. FPGA hardware trigger controller; 3. Vector network analyzer (VNA); 4. DAC signal generator; 5. Six-axis precision robotic arm; 6. Microwave probe; 7. High-precision dual-axis turntable; 8. Phased array antenna under test; and 9. Dedicated hardware trigger bus. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The method of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0019] Unless otherwise defined, the methodological or scientific terms used in this invention shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0020] The terms "comprising" or "including" as used in this invention mean that the element preceding the term encompasses the element listed after the term, and do not exclude the possibility of encompassing other elements. Terms such as "inner," "outer," "upper," and "lower" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly. In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the term "attached" and similar terms should be interpreted broadly. For example, it can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can refer to the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0021] Example like Figure 1 As shown, this invention provides a rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering, used for the seeker head of hypersonic vehicles. The actual test target is a 1024-element X-band active phased array antenna. The system includes a main control industrial computer 1, an FPGA hardware trigger controller 2, a vector network analyzer (VNA) 3, a DAC signal generator 4, a six-axis precision robotic arm 5, a microwave probe 6 mounted on the six-axis precision robotic arm 5, a high-precision dual-axis turntable 7, and the phased array antenna under test 8 mounted on the high-precision dual-axis turntable 7. The FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 is connected to the main control industrial computer 1, the vector network analyzer (VNA) 3, the DAC signal generator 4, the six-axis precision robotic arm 5, and the high-precision dual-axis turntable 7 via a dedicated hardware trigger bus 9.

[0022] The main industrial control computer 1 is used to execute initialization test tasks and receive test data through an independent communication link, and load the test task package. At the same time, the FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 loads timing logic, configures DMA channels and interrupt vectors. The test task package specifically includes a test angle sequence. Excitation frequency list and the trigger timing configuration table, in which, The serial number indicates the test angle. This represents the total number of test angles. Indicates pitch angle, The azimuth angle is indicated, and the trigger timing configuration table is pre-stored in the RAM of the FPGA hardware trigger controller 2.

[0023] In this embodiment, the pitch angle The range of values ​​is set to azimuth The range of values ​​is set to The total number of test points is set to 5400, and the test step size is set to... The test frequency points are set to 3, and the test center frequency point is set to ±5%.

[0024] FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 is used to build a fully closed-loop hardware trigger link or to perform closed-loop verification and retry.

[0025] When the FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 is used to construct a fully closed-loop hardware trigger link, it generates a global rising edge trigger StartPulse and splits the rising edge trigger StartPulse into multiple triggers. The rising edge trigger StartPulse is transmitted to the vector network analyzer VNA 3 through the delay compensation module of the FPGA hardware trigger controller 2, to the controller of the six-axis precision robotic arm 5 through the frequency divider of the FPGA hardware trigger controller 2, to the DAC signal generator 4, and to the controller of the high-precision dual-axis turntable 7.

[0026] The FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 performs closed-loop verification and retry through its built-in data feedback verification module, specifically including the following steps: Step 1: Monitor the "Done" feedback from the six-axis precision robotic arm 5, the high-precision dual-axis rotary table 7, the DAC signal generator 4, and the vector network analyzer VNA 3 respectively. If any device fails to respond within the timeout period, the FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 will trigger the retry logic. The retry logic will be triggered no more than 3 times; otherwise, the corresponding test position will be... Mark it as an exception and log it; Step 2: Perform synchronization accuracy verification on the six-axis precision robotic arm 5, high-precision dual-axis rotary table 7, DAC signal generator 4, and vector network analyzer VNA 3. The specific synchronization accuracy verification formula is set as follows: ; in, This represents the actual measurement of the synchronization time difference. This indicates the maximum allowed synchronization time difference of the system. The value range is set to 10ns-1us; Step 3: Summarize all test locations Using amplitude and phase data, construct a beam pointing error matrix. And direct the beam toward the error matrix. The output is a calibration lookup table (LUT), which generates a fast calibration database and a beam pointing error matrix. This indicates that at a pitch angle of... azimuth angle is Operating frequency is Under the test conditions, the error value between the actual beam pointing and the ideal beam pointing of the phased array antenna 8 under test is used by the calibration lookup table (LUT) for T / R component compensation of the phased array antenna 8 under test.

[0027] A six-axis precision robotic arm 5, a high-precision dual-axis turntable 7, a DAC signal generator 4, and a vector network analyzer (VNA) 3 are used to synchronously perform data acquisition. After the FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 is activated, the six-axis precision robotic arm 5 moves the microwave probe 6 to the test position. The high-precision dual-axis turntable 7 synchronously adjusts the attitude, the DAC signal generator 4 outputs a specific excitation signal, which is specifically set as a linear frequency modulation pulse, and the vector network analyzer VNA 3 collects S-parameters and phase information within a precise time window. The test data of the above devices are all directly transmitted back to the main industrial control computer 1 via DMA for caching. The test data carries a timestamp during caching.

[0028] The trigger delay model of FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 is specifically set as follows: ; ; ; in, This indicates software scheduling latency, which is the dominant latency in traditional methods. Indicates bus transmission delay. This indicates the hardware-triggered propagation delay, which is the dominant delay in this solution. This solution reduces the total delay from the millisecond level to the hundred nanosecond level.

[0029] The test efficiency gain model for FPGA hardware trigger controller 2 is specifically set as follows: ; ; in, Indicates the open-loop time. Indicates the time consumed by the fully closed-loop hardware trigger. This represents the software scheduling and triggering latency required to complete a single point of test. This indicates the hardware triggering and synchronization time required to complete a single-point test. Indicates the physical operation time of the equipment. This indicates the efficiency gain for single-point testing. Since this solution supports parallel preloading and pipelined batch testing, the actual efficiency gain for single-point testing can reach 4-6 times that of traditional methods.

[0030] As shown in Table 1, compared with traditional software triggering, the hardware triggering solution improves testing efficiency by 5.9 times, synchronization accuracy by 14.5 times, and data consistency by a significant margin.

[0031] Table 1: Comparison of time consumption, error, and signal-to-noise ratio between traditional software triggering and hardware triggering in this solution.

[0032] Therefore, the present invention adopts the above-mentioned phased array antenna rapid calibration and testing system based on full closed-loop hardware triggering, uses FPGA as the central hardware timing controller, constructs a nanosecond-level synchronous full closed-loop triggering link, realizes the hard-wired level synchronous start-up and data latching of all test equipment, and completely eliminates software scheduling delay.

[0033] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the method of the present invention and not to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the method of the present invention, and these modifications or equivalent substitutions should not cause the modified method to deviate from the spirit and scope of the method of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering, characterized in that, It includes a main industrial control computer, an FPGA hardware trigger controller, a vector network analyzer (VNA), a DAC signal generator, a six-axis precision robotic arm, a microwave probe mounted on the six-axis precision robotic arm, a high-precision dual-axis turntable, and a phased array antenna under test mounted on the high-precision dual-axis turntable. The FPGA hardware trigger controller is connected to the main industrial control computer, the VNA, the DAC signal generator, the six-axis precision robotic arm, and the high-precision dual-axis turntable via a dedicated hardware trigger bus.

2. The rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The main industrial control computer is used to execute initialization test tasks and receive test data through an independent communication link, and load test task packages, which specifically include test angle sequences. Excitation frequency list and the trigger timing configuration table, in which, The serial number indicates the test angle. This represents the total number of test angles. Indicates pitch angle, The azimuth angle is indicated, and the trigger timing configuration table is pre-stored in the RAM of the FPGA hardware trigger controller.

3. The rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering as described in claim 1, characterized in that, An FPGA hardware trigger controller is used to build a fully closed-loop hardware triggering link or to perform closed-loop verification and retries.

4. The rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the FPGA hardware trigger controller is used to construct a fully closed-loop hardware trigger link, it generates a global rising edge trigger StartPulse and splits the rising edge trigger StartPulse into multiple triggers. The rising edge trigger StartPulse is transmitted to the vector network analyzer (VNA) through the delay compensation module of the FPGA hardware trigger controller, to the controller of the six-axis precision robotic arm through the frequency divider of the FPGA hardware trigger controller, to the DAC signal generator, and to the controller of the high-precision dual-axis rotary table.

5. The rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering according to claim 1, characterized in that, The FPGA hardware trigger controller performs closed-loop verification and retry through its built-in data feedback verification module, specifically including the following steps: Step 1: Monitor the "Done" feedback from the six-axis precision robotic arm, high-precision dual-axis rotary table, DAC signal generator, and VNA vector network analyzer. If any device fails to respond within the timeout period, the FPGA hardware trigger controller will initiate retry logic. The retry logic will be triggered no more than 3 times; otherwise, the corresponding test position will be... Mark it as an exception and log it; Step 2: Perform synchronization accuracy verification on the six-axis precision robotic arm, high-precision dual-axis rotary table, DAC signal generator, and vector network analyzer (VNA). The specific synchronization accuracy verification formula is set as follows: ； in, This represents the actual measured synchronization time difference. This indicates the maximum allowed synchronization time difference of the system. The value range is set to 10ns-1us; Step 3: Summarize all test locations Using amplitude and phase data, construct a beam pointing error matrix. And direct the beam toward the error matrix The output is a calibration lookup table (LUT), which generates a fast calibration database and a beam pointing error matrix. Indicates that at a pitch angle of azimuth angle is Operating frequency is Under the test conditions, the error value between the actual beam pointing and the ideal beam pointing of the phased array antenna under test.

6. The rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering according to claim 1, characterized in that, A six-axis precision robotic arm, a high-precision dual-axis rotary table, a DAC signal generator, and a vector network analyzer (VNA) are used to synchronously perform data acquisition. After the FPGA hardware trigger controller is activated, the six-axis precision robotic arm moves the microwave probe to the test position. A high-precision dual-axis turntable synchronously adjusts the attitude, a DAC signal generator outputs a specific excitation signal, which is specifically set as a linear frequency modulated pulse, and a vector network analyzer (VNA) acquires S-parameters and phase information within a precise time window.

7. The rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering according to claim 1, characterized in that, The trigger delay model of the FPGA hardware trigger controller is specifically set as follows: ； ； ； in, This indicates software scheduling delay. Indicates bus transmission delay. This indicates the hardware-triggered propagation delay.

8. The rapid calibration and testing system for phased array antennas based on fully closed-loop hardware triggering according to claim 1, characterized in that, The test efficiency gain model for the FPGA hardware trigger controller is specifically set as follows: ； in, Indicates the open-loop time. Indicates the time consumed by the fully closed-loop hardware trigger. This represents the software scheduling and triggering latency required to complete a single point of test. This indicates the hardware triggering and synchronization time required to complete a single-point test. Indicates the physical operation time of the equipment. This indicates the efficiency gain in a single-point test.

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