A DBF lens phased array antenna
By combining digital multi-beam phased array antennas with lens antennas, and employing low-cost planar electromagnetic lenses and sparse array technology, the problem of high cost of digital multi-beam phased array antennas is solved, realizing a high-gain and low-cost phased array antenna system suitable for multi-target communication and self-organizing network communication.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- THE 54TH RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF CHINA ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-19
AI Technical Summary
The high cost of existing digital multi-beam phased array antennas limits their application in communication systems. Furthermore, as the number of digital channels increases, the system cost rises further, hindering the promotion of microwave self-organizing network communication and scattering network communication.
By combining digital multi-beam phased array antennas and lens antennas, and employing low-cost planar electromagnetic lens technology and sparse array phased array feeding, the phase modulation and focusing characteristics of planar electromagnetic lenses are utilized, combined with digital beamforming technology, to form high-gain multi-beams and reduce the number of active channels.
Without increasing the number of digital channels in the system, the antenna gain is improved, the cost of the phased array antenna is reduced, and the convenience and adaptability of the communication system are enhanced, making it suitable for multi-target communication and self-organizing network communication.
Smart Images
Figure CN122246489A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of wireless communication and antenna technology, and specifically refers to a DBF lens phased array antenna device. Background Technology
[0002] With increasingly demanding requirements for communication systems, such as multi-target communication, high performance, and interference resistance, the demand for phased array antennas is growing. However, the high cost of digital multi-beam phased array antennas is a limiting factor for their widespread application. Furthermore, to achieve higher antenna gain and performance, the size of digital multi-beam phased array antennas increases, leading to a rise in antenna cost with the number of digital channels. This increases the overall cost of the communication system, hindering the widespread adoption of microwave ad hoc network communication and scattering network communication systems. Therefore, exploring methods to improve the gain of phased array antennas without increasing the number of digital channels is crucial for reducing their cost. Summary of the Invention
[0003] In view of this, the purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a DBF lens phased array antenna device. This device combines a digital multi-beam phased array antenna with a lens antenna based on the existing digital multi-beam phased array antenna, explores and studies low-cost DBF lens antennas, and improves antenna gain. This provides technical support for reducing the cost of high-performance phased array antenna systems and lays a solid foundation for further reducing the cost of ad hoc network communication systems.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A DBF lens phased array antenna device includes a planar electromagnetic lens 1 and a digital multi-beam phased array antenna 2. The planar electromagnetic lens 1 is a metamaterial electromagnetic structure composed of multiple frequency selective surfaces 3 arranged periodically, used to perform phase correction and wavefront modulation on incident or emitted electromagnetic waves. The digital multi-beam phased array antenna 2 serves as the feed source for the planar electromagnetic lens 1 and includes multiple sparsely arranged antenna array elements 4, a TR component 6, and a digital acquisition and DBF signal processing unit 8. TR component 6 includes a power amplifier for the transmit channel and a low-noise amplifier for the receive channel, and integrates up-conversion and down-conversion functions; digital acquisition and DBF signal processing module 8 includes an AD conversion unit 10, a DA conversion unit 12 and an FPGA processor 11; During the reception process, the electromagnetic plane lens 1 focuses and phase-modulates the received electromagnetic wave signal, which is then received by the antenna array element 4. After low-noise amplification and down-conversion processing by the TR component 6, the signal is sent to the AD conversion unit 10 to be converted into a digital signal. Then, the FPGA processor 11 performs digital beamforming and outputs multi-beam signals. During transmission, the multiple digital signals of the transmission beam generated by the FPGA processor 11 are converted into analog signals by the DA conversion unit 12, and then up-converted and amplified by the TR component 6. The signals are then radiated by the antenna element 4 to the planar electromagnetic lens 1, and after phase modulation by the planar electromagnetic lens 1, a high-gain, multi-directional radiation beam is formed.
[0005] Furthermore, the TR component is a digital TR component, which includes a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a frequency converter, a filter, and a frequency synthesizer local oscillator power divider network; During the receiving process, the signal is first amplified by a low-noise amplifier. The amplified radio frequency signal is then filtered to remove out-of-band interference signals. The filtered radio frequency signal enters the inverter. The frequency synthesis local oscillator power divider network distributes the local oscillator signal to the inverter. In the inverter, the radio frequency signal and the local oscillator signal are mixed to complete the down-conversion process and be converted to the intermediate frequency. During transmission, the intermediate frequency (IF) signal enters the inverter. The frequency synthesizer local oscillator power divider distributes the local oscillator signal to the inverter. The IF signal and the local oscillator signal are mixed to complete the up-conversion process and are converted to the radio frequency (RF) frequency. The up-converted RF signal is then processed by RF filtering, amplification, and gain adjustment before being amplified to the required power by the power amplifier.
[0006] Furthermore, it also includes a coupling calibration network 5, wherein the FPGA processor 11 integrates a calibration module; wherein, The calibration module generates or controls the injection of calibration signals, distributes the calibration signals to the transceiver channels of each TR component through a coupled calibration network, receives feedback signals from each transceiver channel, detects amplitude inconsistencies and phase inconsistencies between transceiver channels, and calculates the calibration coefficients for each channel. The coupled calibration network 5 is used to receive calibration signals from the calibration module, divide the calibration signals into multiple paths and distribute them to each transceiver channel, and serve as the feedback path for the calibration signals, sending the response signals of each channel back to the calibration module.
[0007] Furthermore, the digital multi-beam phased array antenna 2 forms a beam by performing digital sampling and digital processing in the digital domain. The digital processing method compensates for the phase difference caused by the propagation path difference due to the different spatial positions of the antenna for the incident signal in a certain direction, so as to achieve in-phase superposition and thus achieve maximum energy reception in that direction, thereby completing the beamforming in that direction.
[0008] Furthermore, the FPGA processor 11 integrates an AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module and a DBF processor module; The AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module is used to complete analog / digital conversion and sampling. The sampled data undergoes down-conversion and preprocessing, and then the data is sent to the back-end DBF processor module through optical fiber. The DBF processor module is connected to the AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module 15 via optical fiber 23 to perform digital signal interaction and realize antenna signal acquisition and transmission. When receiving signals, the DBF processor module performs weighted processing on the acquired signals to form a receive beam signal, and forms multiple beam signals for simultaneous back transmission as required. When transmitting signals, the DBF processor module weights the baseband signal to form a transmit beam signal, which is then sent to the intermediate frequency module for signal transmission. Furthermore, the frequency synthesis local oscillator power divider network includes a clock unit 24, a fast-hopping frequency unit 25, an amplification unit 26, a control and power supply unit 27, and a local oscillator power divider network 28; The fast-jump frequency source unit 25 includes two sets of phase-locked frequency sources, and the outputs of the two sets of frequency sources are selected and switched by a single-pole double-throw switch; Clock unit 24 serves as a reference source, providing a stable reference clock signal; the two sets of phase-locked frequency sources in fast-hopping frequency source unit 25 both use the reference clock output by the clock unit as a reference, and synthesize various required frequency signals through phase-locked loop technology. Amplification unit 26 amplifies, filters, and divides the frequency signal output from fast-hopping frequency source unit 25 to output the required local oscillator signal; The control and power supply unit 27 converts the input +28V to DC voltage through a DC / DC power supply, and converts the control signal from the host computer into the control signal of the single-pole double-throw switch in the fast-hopping frequency source unit; The local oscillator power divider network 28 receives the local oscillator signal from the amplification unit and divides the local oscillator signal into 64 channels to supply the local oscillator port of the TR component.
[0009] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. This invention employs low-cost planar electromagnetic lens technology, using metamaterial electromagnetic lenses to improve the antenna gain while reducing the cost of the antenna system. This enhances the widespread use of phased array antennas in communication systems and fully leverages their advantages of rapid scanning and flexible multi-beam operation. It also improves the ease of use of communication systems.
[0010] 2. This invention employs sparse array phased array feeding technology, which helps to reduce the number of active channels while ensuring the performance of the phased array antenna, thereby reducing the cost of the phased array antenna and promoting its application.
[0011] 3. This invention applies digital beamforming technology based on aperiodic array arrangement. To achieve flexible multi-beamforming and high-gain requirements, based on key technologies of sparse array and low-cost planar electromagnetic lens technology, digital beamforming technology is combined with sparse array as the feed source of the planar electromagnetic lens. Utilizing the focusing characteristics of the planar electromagnetic lens, a lens phased array antenna system based on DBF technology is formed to obtain multiple high-gain antenna beams, adapting to multi-target communication needs. Attached Figure Description
[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall low-cost DBF lens phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the digital array antenna system provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the composition and principle of the TR component provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 It is composed of the frequency hopping source module provided in the embodiments of the present invention.
[0013] In the diagram: 1. Planar electromagnetic lens, 2. Digital multi-beam phased array antenna, 3. Frequency selective surface, 4. Antenna element, 5. Coupling calibration network, 6. TR component, 7. Cooling module, 8. Digital acquisition and DBF signal processing module, 9. Power supply module, 10. AD conversion unit, 11. FPGA processor, 12. DA conversion unit, 24. Clock unit, 25. Fast hopping frequency unit, 26. Amplification unit, 27. Control and power supply unit, 28. Local oscillator power divider network. Detailed Implementation
[0014] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0015] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a DBF lens phased array antenna device, including a planar electromagnetic lens 1 and a digital multi-beam phased array antenna 2. The planar electromagnetic lens 1 is composed of multiple frequency selective surfaces 3 arranged periodically, belonging to metamaterial electromagnetic structures, and is used for phase correction and wavefront modulation of incident or emitted electromagnetic waves. The digital multi-beam phased array antenna 2 serves as the feed source for the planar electromagnetic lens 1, including multiple sparsely arranged antenna array elements 4, a TR component 6, and a digital acquisition and DBF signal processing unit 8. In addition, the digital multi-beam phased array antenna 2 also includes a coupling calibration network 5, a cooling module 7, and a power supply module 9 to support the overall stable operation of the system.
[0016] The planar electromagnetic lens 1 is manufactured using a low-cost PCB processing technology, featuring low cost and high reliability. The lens unit is based on a periodic electromagnetic structure, including a multilayer frequency selective surface (M-FSS). The design parameters of the planar lens include the aperture diameter D, the feeding distance H between the lens and the phased array feed source, and the design focal length F of a traditional single-focus planar lens. These parameters collectively determine the lens's focusing characteristics and phase correction capability.
[0017] During reception, the planar electromagnetic lens 1 performs phase correction and wavefront modulation on the incident electromagnetic wave, focusing it onto the feed array. During transmission, the lens modulates the phase of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the feed, forming a high-gain, multi-directional radiation beam. By adjusting the number of lens layers, the unit structure of the frequency-selective surface, and their arrangement, precise phase control of electromagnetic waves in different frequency bands can be achieved.
[0018] like Figure 2 As shown, the digital multi-beam phased array antenna 2 consists of an antenna array 13, a digital TR component 14, an AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module 15, a clock and local oscillator power divider network 16, a calibration module 17, a DBF processor module 18, a power supply module 19, and a communication signal processing unit 20. These modules work together to complete the functions of signal reception, amplification, frequency conversion, sampling, beamforming, and transmission.
[0019] The sparsely arranged antenna element 4 has multiple application scenarios: it can be used as a standalone sparse array antenna; it can be used as a feed source for the planar electromagnetic lens 1; and it can also be used as a feed source for a conventional reflector antenna. This sparse array design effectively reduces the number of active channels while ensuring the performance of the feed antenna, thereby further reducing the system cost.
[0020] like Figure 3 As shown, TR component 6 is a digital TR component, which includes a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a frequency converter, a filter, and a frequency synthesis local oscillator power divider network, as well as a local oscillator power divider network 21 and a calibration power divider network 22. When the frequency converter module is operating, the signal enters the corresponding frequency conversion channel according to the RF input frequency. After multiple stages of filtering, amplification, frequency conversion, and gain adjustment, it outputs an intermediate frequency signal with the required frequency and power. This design supports wide-band operation and adapts to the frequency requirements of different communication scenarios.
[0021] During reception, the electromagnetic plane lens 1 focuses and phase-modulates the received electromagnetic wave signal, which is then received by the antenna array element 4. The signal enters the TR component 6, where it is amplified by a low-noise amplifier, filtered to remove out-of-band interference, and down-converted by a frequency converter and local oscillator signal to output an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The IF signal is then sent to the digital acquisition and DBF signal processing module 8, converted into a digital signal by the AD conversion unit 10, and then digitally beamformed by the FPGA processor 11 to output multiple beam signals.
[0022] During transmission, the FPGA processor 11 generates multiple digital signals for the transmission beam. These signals are converted into analog intermediate frequency (IF) signals by the DA converter 12 and then sent to the TR component 6. The IF signals are mixed with the local oscillator signal in the frequency converter to complete the up-conversion process, transforming them to the radio frequency (RF) frequency. After RF filtering, amplification, and gain adjustment, the signals are amplified to the required power by the power amplifier and radiated to the planar electromagnetic lens 1 through the antenna array element 4. The planar electromagnetic lens 1 modulates the phase of the radiated wave, forming a high-gain, multi-directional radiation beam.
[0023] like Figure 2 As shown, the FPGA processor 11 integrates a calibration module, and the coupling calibration network 5 is used to achieve amplitude and phase consistency calibration of the transceiver channels. The calibration module generates calibration signals or controls the injection of calibration signals, distributes the calibration signals to the transceiver channels of each TR component through the coupling calibration network 5, receives feedback signals from each transceiver channel, detects amplitude and phase inconsistencies between the transceiver channels, and calculates the calibration coefficients for each channel. The coupling calibration network 5 also serves as a feedback path for the calibration signals, sending the response signals from each channel back to the calibration module to achieve closed-loop calibration.
[0024] The digital multi-beam phased array antenna 2 employs digital beamforming technology, forming beams through digital sampling and processing in the digital domain. For an incident signal in a certain direction, the digital processing method compensates for the phase difference caused by the propagation path difference due to the different spatial positions of the antenna array elements 4, achieving in-phase superposition and thus maximizing energy reception in that direction, completing beamforming in that direction.
[0025] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the FPGA processor 11 integrates an AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module and a DBF processor module. The AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module 15 consists of an intermediate frequency transceiver unit, a digital processing unit, a clock distribution unit, an external interface unit, and a power supply unit. It is used to complete analog-to-digital conversion and sampling. The sampled data undergoes digital down-conversion and data preprocessing, and then the data is sent to the DBF processor module at the back end through optical fiber 23. The design of this module ensures efficient and low-distortion conversion between intermediate frequency signals and digital baseband signals.
[0026] The DBF processor module 18 is connected to the AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module 15 via optical fiber 23 to exchange digital signals, enabling antenna signal acquisition and transmission. The DBF processor module 18 primarily implements digital multi-beamforming functions, including transmit and receive digital multi-beamforming and sidelobe level control. When receiving signals, the DBF processor module weights the acquired signals to form a receive beam signal; depending on system requirements, up to multiple beam signals may be generated and transmitted simultaneously. When transmitting signals, the DBF processor module weights the baseband signal to form a transmit beam signal, which is then sent to the intermediate frequency module for signal transmission.
[0027] The function of the frequency synthesizer and local oscillator power divider network 16 is to generate the radio frequency mixing signal required by the system during normal operation. Its main components include a clock unit 24, a fast frequency hopping unit 25, an amplification unit 26, a control and power supply unit 27, and a local oscillator power divider network 28.
[0028] The fast-hopping frequency source unit 25 includes two sets of phase-locked frequency sources. The outputs of the two sets of frequency sources are selected and switched by a single-pole double-throw switch to achieve the effect of rapid frequency change. The clock unit 24 serves as a reference source, providing a stable reference clock signal. Both sets of phase-locked frequency sources use the reference clock output by the clock unit as a reference, and synthesize various required frequency signals through phase-locked loop technology.
[0029] Amplification unit 26 amplifies, filters, and divides the frequency signal output from fast-hopping frequency source unit 25 to output the required local oscillator signal.
[0030] The control and power supply unit 27 converts the input +28V to DC voltage through a DC / DC power supply, and converts the control signal from the host computer into the control signal of the single-pole double-throw switch in the fast-hopping frequency source unit.
[0031] The local oscillator power divider network 28 receives the local oscillator signal from the amplification unit and divides the local oscillator signal into 64 channels to supply the local oscillator port of the TR component, thereby realizing the synchronous distribution of multi-channel local oscillator signals.
[0032] This invention combines a digital multi-beam phased array antenna with a planar electromagnetic lens. Utilizing the phase modulation and focusing characteristics of the planar electromagnetic lens, it improves antenna gain while effectively reducing the number of active channels and system cost by combining sparse arraying and digital beamforming technology. The planar electromagnetic lens is fabricated using a low-cost PCB manufacturing process, further reducing the overall cost of the antenna system. This makes it suitable for high-performance applications such as multi-target communication and ad hoc network communication.
Claims
1. A DBF lens phased array antenna, characterized in that, It includes a planar electromagnetic lens (1) and a digital multi-beam phased array antenna (2); the planar electromagnetic lens (1) is a metamaterial electromagnetic structure composed of multiple frequency selective surfaces (3) arranged periodically, used to perform phase correction and wavefront modulation on incident or outgoing electromagnetic waves; the digital multi-beam phased array antenna (2) serves as the feed source for the planar electromagnetic lens (1), including multiple sparsely arranged antenna array elements (4), a TR component (6), and a digital acquisition and DBF signal processing unit (8). The TR component (6) includes a power amplifier for the transmit channel and a low-noise amplifier for the receive channel, and integrates up-conversion and down-conversion functions; the digital acquisition and DBF signal processing module (8) includes an AD conversion unit (10), a DA conversion unit (12) and an FPGA processor (11). During the receiving process, the electromagnetic plane lens (1) focuses and phase-modulates the received electromagnetic wave signal, which is then received by the antenna array element (4). After low-noise amplification and down-conversion processing by the TR component (6), the signal is sent to the AD conversion unit (10) to be converted into a digital signal. Then, the signal is processed by the FPGA processor (11) to perform digital beamforming and output multiple beam signals. During the transmission process, the multiple transmit beam digital signals generated by the FPGA processor (11) are converted into analog signals by the DA conversion unit (12), and then up-converted and amplified by the TR component (6). The signals are then radiated by the antenna array element (4) to the planar electromagnetic lens (1), and a high-gain, multi-directional radiation beam is formed after phase modulation by the planar electromagnetic lens (1).
2. The DBF lens phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, The TR component is a digital TR component, which includes a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier, a frequency converter, a filter, and a frequency synthesizer local oscillator power divider network. During the receiving process, the signal is first amplified by a low-noise amplifier. The amplified radio frequency signal is then filtered to remove out-of-band interference signals. The filtered radio frequency signal enters the inverter. The frequency synthesis local oscillator power divider network distributes the local oscillator signal to the inverter. In the inverter, the radio frequency signal and the local oscillator signal are mixed to complete the down-conversion process and be converted to the intermediate frequency. During transmission, the intermediate frequency (IF) signal enters the inverter. The frequency synthesizer local oscillator power divider distributes the local oscillator signal to the inverter. The IF signal and the local oscillator signal are mixed to complete the up-conversion process and are converted to the radio frequency (RF) frequency. The up-converted RF signal is then processed by RF filtering, amplification, and gain adjustment before being amplified to the required power by the power amplifier.
3. The DBF lens phased array antenna of claim 2, wherein, It also includes a coupling calibration network (5), wherein the FPGA processor (11) integrates a calibration module; wherein, The calibration module generates or controls the injection of calibration signals, distributes the calibration signals to the transceiver channels of each TR component through a coupled calibration network, receives feedback signals from each transceiver channel, detects amplitude inconsistencies and phase inconsistencies between transceiver channels, and calculates the calibration coefficients for each channel. The coupled calibration network (5) is used to receive the calibration signal from the calibration module, divide the calibration signal into multiple paths and distribute them to each transceiver channel, and serve as the feedback path for the calibration signal to send the response signal of each channel back to the calibration module.
4. The DBF lens phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, The digital multi-beam phased array antenna (2) forms a beam by performing digital sampling and digital processing in the digital domain. The digital processing method compensates for the phase difference caused by the propagation path difference due to the different spatial positions of the antenna for the incident signal in a certain direction, so as to achieve in-phase superposition, thereby achieving the maximum energy reception in that direction and completing the beamforming in that direction.
5. The DBF lens phased array antenna of claim 1, wherein, The FPGA processor (11) integrates an AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module and a DBF processor module; The AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module is used to complete analog / digital conversion and sampling. The sampled data undergoes down-conversion and preprocessing, and then the data is sent to the back-end DBF processor module through optical fiber. The DBF processor module is connected to the AD / DA sampling and preprocessing module (15) via optical fiber to perform digital signal interaction and realize antenna signal acquisition and transmission. When receiving signals, the DBF processor module performs weighted processing on the acquired signals to form a receiving beam signal, and forms multiple beam signals to be transmitted back simultaneously as required. When transmitting signals, the DBF processor module performs weighted processing on the baseband signal to form a transmitting beam signal, which is sent to the intermediate frequency module for signal transmission.
6. The DBF lens phased array antenna of claim 2, wherein, The frequency synthesis local oscillator power divider network includes a clock unit (24), a fast frequency jumping unit (25), an amplification unit (26), a control and power supply unit (27), and a local oscillator power divider network (28). The fast-jump frequency source unit (25) includes two sets of phase-locked frequency sources, and the outputs of the two sets of frequency sources are selected and switched by a single-pole double-throw switch; The clock unit (24) serves as a reference source, providing a stable reference clock signal; the two sets of phase-locked frequency sources in the fast-jump frequency source unit (25) both use the reference clock output by the clock unit as a reference, and synthesize various frequency signals required by the phase-locked loop technology. The amplification unit (26) amplifies, filters and divides the frequency signal output by the fast-hopping frequency source unit (25) to output the required local oscillator signal; The control and power supply unit (27) converts the input +28V to DC voltage through a DC / DC power supply and converts the control signal from the host computer into the control signal of the single-pole double-throw switch in the fast-jumping frequency source unit. The local oscillator power divider network (28) receives the local oscillator signal from the amplification unit and divides the local oscillator signal into 64 channels to supply the local oscillator port of the TR component.