A full-digital phased array transceiver system supporting multi-beam scalability

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of satellite communication and phased array antenna, and discloses a full-digital phased array transceiving system supporting multi-beam scalability. The system comprises S / Ku / Ka three-frequency band antenna arrays, full-digital transceiving channels, scalable beam processing units, beam control management units and calibration modules. The antenna arrays adopt a common aperture or a separate aperture layout, and the transceiving channels are equipped with independent ADCs and DACs; the beam processing units support 16 / 32 / 64 / 128 / 256 beam dynamic configuration, and realize multi-beam independent pointing through digital domain weighting synthesis; the beam control units schedule resources based on ephemeris data, and the calibration modules guarantee channel consistency. The beam switching delay of the application is less than 1 ms, the pointing accuracy is better than 0.1°, the three-frequency bands are seamlessly compatible, and the application is suitable for low-orbit satellite communication, mobile phone direct connection satellite and other scenes, and takes into account flexibility and scalability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of satellite communication and phased array antenna technology, specifically involving the design of a fully digital multi-beam scalable phased array transceiver system. It is applicable to scenarios such as low-Earth orbit satellite constellation communication, direct mobile phone connection to satellite, and broadband Internet access. It can realize S / Ku / Ka tri-band converged communication and dynamic expansion of 16-256 beams, providing a highly flexible and highly integrated technical solution for multi-user and multi-constellation access. Background Technology

[0002] The rapid development of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication constellations has placed stringent demands on the flexibility and scalability of spaceborne and ground-based phased array systems. Traditional analog phased arrays have a fixed number of beams, making them unsuitable for the dynamic needs of multiple users. Existing digital phased arrays are mostly designed for a single number of beams, and expansion requires the development of new hardware, which is costly and time-consuming. Furthermore, satellite communication scenarios need to be compatible with S-band direct mobile phone connections and Ku / Ka-band broadband communication, making it difficult for single-band systems to meet the access requirements of multiple constellations.

[0003] Furthermore, issues such as inconsistent amplitude and phase across multiple channels, large beam switching delays, and rigid resource scheduling further constrain system performance. Traditional systems lack a unified, scalable architecture; adjusting the number of beams requires refactoring hardware logic, hindering rapid response to service changes. In tri-band fusion designs, balancing inter-band interference and integration compatibility is difficult, impacting communication quality. There is an urgent need for a fully digital phased array transceiver system that supports dynamic multi-beam expansion and tri-band compatibility to overcome existing technological bottlenecks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to solve the technical problems of fixed number of beams, poor multi-band compatibility, and insufficient scalability in existing phased array systems, and provides a fully digital phased array transceiver system that supports multi-beam scalability, achieving synergistic optimization of flexible expansion and multi-band fusion.

[0005] The core architecture of this invention comprises five core modules: a three-band antenna array employing a common-aperture or split-aperture layout, covering the S / Ku / Ka communication bands, respectively adaptable to applications such as direct mobile phone connection, Qianfan constellation, and StarNet constellation; a fully digital transceiver channel equipping each antenna element with an independent LNA and ADC receiving link and DAC and PA transmitting link, adopting a direct RF sampling and synthesis architecture to meet the needs of multi-band signal processing; a scalable beam processing unit supporting dynamic switching of 16 / 32 / 64 / 128 / 256 beams through weight storage, parallel synthesis, and configuration interface modules, employing a time-division and space-division multiplexing architecture to balance resources and performance; a beam control and management unit calculating beam pointing based on ephemeris data, dynamically scheduling resources and generating weighting coefficients, supporting multiple scheduling modes such as fixed, tracking, and scanning; and a calibration module achieving channel amplitude and phase calibration through a built-in coupling network to ensure the accuracy of multi-beam synthesis.

[0006] The system adopts a tile-style stacked architecture, which has high integration and strong scalability. The beam switching delay is less than 1ms, the pointing accuracy is better than 0.1°, and it is seamlessly compatible with three frequency bands. The number of beams can be flexibly adjusted according to business needs to adapt to different application scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 is a block diagram of the overall architecture of the all-digital phased array transceiver system; Figure 2 is a block diagram of the internal structure of the scalable beam processing unit; Figure 3 is a block diagram of the internal structure of the beam control management unit; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the layout of a three-band antenna array; Figure 5 shows the circuit schematic of the all-digital transceiver channel; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the calibration path for the calibration module; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the tile-type stacked architecture.

[0008] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 100 - Three-band antenna array; 110 - S-band subarray; 120 - Ku-band subarray; 130 - Ka-band subarray; 200 - All-digital transceiver channel module; 300 - Scalable beamforming unit; 310 - Weight storage module; 320 - Parallel beamforming module; 330 - Configuration interface module; 400 - Beam control management unit; 410 - Ephemeris acquisition subunit; 420 - Pointing calculation subunit; 430 - Resource scheduling subunit; 440 - Weight generation subunit; 500 - Calibration module; 510 - Built-in coupling network; 520 - Calibration signal source; 530 - Calibration receiver; 540 - Control subunit; 600 - Frequency Synthesizer Module; 710 - Antenna layer; 720 - Transceiver channel layer; 730 - Digital processing layer; 740 - Power control layer. Detailed Implementation

[0009] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the various drawings, the same elements are indicated by similar reference numerals. For clarity, the various parts in the drawings are not drawn to scale. Furthermore, some well-known parts may not be shown in the drawings.

[0010] Many specific details of the invention, such as the structure, materials, dimensions, processing methods, and techniques of the devices, are described below to provide a clearer understanding of the invention. However, as those skilled in the art will understand, the invention may be implemented without following these specific details.

[0011] Figure 1 shows the overall architecture block diagram of the all-digital phased array transceiver system. As shown in Figure 1, the all-digital phased array transceiver system of the present invention includes a three-band antenna array 100, an all-digital transceiver channel module 200, a scalable beam processing unit 300, a beam control and management unit 400, a calibration module 500, and a frequency synthesizer module 600. The three-band antenna array 100 includes S / Ku / Ka subarrays, which are respectively connected to the corresponding channels of the all-digital transceiver channel module 200; the scalable beam processing unit 300 receives digital signals and completes multi-beam synthesis, and communicates bidirectionally with the beam control and management unit 400; the calibration module 500 connects the transceiver channel and the beam processing unit to realize amplitude and phase calibration; the frequency synthesizer module 600 provides a multi-phase clock. This architecture realizes all-digital processing of three-band signals and multi-beam scalable control, with high integration and strong flexibility.

[0012] Figure 2 shows the internal structure block diagram of the scalable beamforming unit. As shown in Figure 2, the scalable beamforming unit 300 includes a weight storage module 310, a parallel beamforming module 320, and a configuration interface module 330. The weight storage module 310 is a dual-port SRAM that stores the complex weighting coefficients corresponding to 5 beams; the parallel beamforming module 320 contains multiple CMAC units, employing a fully parallel architecture for 16 / 32 beams and a time-division and parallel hybrid architecture for 64 / 128 / 256 beams; the configuration interface module 330 receives instructions via the SPI protocol, switches the number of beams, and loads the corresponding weights. This unit has a computing power ≥2T MACS (for 256 beams), a beam switching delay <1ms, and adapts to different expansion requirements.

[0013] Figure 3 shows the internal structure block diagram of the beam control management unit. As shown in Figure 3, the beam control management unit 400 includes an ephemeris acquisition subunit 410, a pointing calculation subunit 420, a resource scheduling subunit 430, and a weight generation subunit 440. The ephemeris acquisition subunit 410 parses TLE orbit data to obtain the satellite's real-time position; the pointing calculation subunit 420 uses a prediction-correction algorithm to calculate the beam pointing angle in advance; the resource scheduling subunit 430 supports four modes: fixed, tracking, scanning, and hybrid, and dynamically allocates beam resources; the weight generation subunit 440 calculates weighting coefficients based on the pointing angle and writes them to the weight storage module 310. This unit ensures beam pointing accuracy better than 0.1°, adapting to high-speed motion scenarios of low-Earth orbit satellites.

[0014] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the layout of the three-band antenna array. As shown in Figure 4, the three-band antenna array 100 adopts a split-aperture layout. The left side of the rectangular panel contains the S-band subarray 110 (16 elements, 50mm spacing), the lower left corner contains the Ku-band subarray 120 (64 elements, 15mm spacing), and the right side contains the Ka-band subarray 130 (256 elements, 8mm spacing). The S-band subarray is a circularly polarized microstrip patch, the Ku-band is a dual-circularly polarized waveguide slot array, and the Ka-band is a dual-circularly polarized multilayer PCB antenna. Each subarray is independently fed, with isolation strips at the edges, and the frequency band isolation is >30dB to avoid mutual interference.

[0015] Figure 5 shows the circuit schematic of the all-digital transceiver channel. As shown in Figure 5, the receiving link of the all-digital transceiver channel module 200 is as follows: the signal received by the antenna passes through a limiter, a low-noise amplifier, a bandpass filter, and a variable gain amplifier, and is then converted into a digital output by an analog-to-digital converter. The transmitting link is as follows: the digital input passes through a digital-to-analog converter, a bandpass filter, a driver amplifier, and a power amplifier, and is then transmitted by the antenna through a circulator. The ADC has a sampling rate of 5 GSPS and a resolution of 12 bits, and the DAC has a sampling rate of 6 GSPS and a resolution of 14 bits. It adopts a direct RF sampling or synthesis architecture, eliminating the need for an additional mixer, simplifying the link design, and reducing losses.

[0016] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the calibration path of the calibration module. As shown in Figure 6, the calibration module 500 includes a built-in coupling network 510, a calibration signal source 520, a calibration receiver 530, and a control subunit 540. The built-in coupling network 510 sets directional couplers at the RF ports of each channel to extract the calibration signal; during transmission calibration, the calibration signal source 520 generates a reference signal, which is amplified by the transmission channel and coupled to the calibration receiver 530 to measure the amplitude and phase response; during reception calibration, the calibration signal source injects a signal through the coupling network to compare the ADC sampled data with the theoretical value. The control subunit 540 supports parallel or time-division calibration of all channels, with a compensated channel amplitude consistency of ±0.5dB and a phase consistency of ±3°.

[0017] Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the tile-style stacked architecture. As shown in Figure 7, the system adopts a tile-style stacked architecture, consisting of an antenna layer 710, a transceiver channel layer 720, a digital processing layer 730, and a power control layer 740 from top to bottom. The antenna layer integrates tri-band radiating elements, the transceiver channel layer integrates SiGe BiCMOS chips on an LTCC substrate, the digital processing layer houses an FPGA and DDR memory, and the power control layer integrates a power module and controller. All layers are connected via BGA solder balls and vertical interconnect vias, with a total thickness of <20mm, achieving high integration and a low profile design.

[0018] In this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that the included set of elements (such as a process, method, article, or apparatus) includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements besides those included.

[0019] In this invention, the embodiments do not exhaustively describe all details, nor are they intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments described. Many variations can be made based on the above description. These embodiments have been selected and specifically described in this specification to better explain the principles and practical applications of the invention, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to effectively utilize the invention and make modifications based on it. This invention is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. A fully digital phased array transceiver system supporting multi-beam scalability, characterized in that, It includes a three-band antenna array, a fully digital transceiver channel module, a scalable beam processing unit, a beam control and management unit, and a calibration module; the antenna array includes S / Ku / Ka subarrays; the transceiver channel includes independent ADC and DAC; the beam processing unit supports dynamic configuration of 16 / 32 / 64 / 128 / 256 beams; the beam control unit schedules resources; and the calibration module compensates for channel errors.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The S-band subarray operates from 1980 to 2010 and from 2170 to 2200 MHz, the Ku-band from 10.7 to 12.75 GHz and from 14.0 to 14.5 GHz, and the Ka-band from 17.7 to 20.2 GHz and from 27.5 to 30.0 GHz.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scalable beam processing unit includes weight storage, parallel synthesis, and configuration interface modules, and adopts a time-division and space-division multiplexing architecture.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The beam control management unit includes sub-units for ephemeris acquisition, pointing calculation, resource scheduling, and weight generation, and supports multiple scheduling modes.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The calibration module uses a built-in coupling network to support parallel or time-division calibration across all channels, compensating for amplitude and phase errors.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It adopts a tile-style stacked architecture, consisting of an antenna layer, a transceiver channel layer, a digital processing layer, and a power control layer from top to bottom.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Beam switching delay <1ms, pointing accuracy better than 0.1°, channel amplitude consistency ±0.5dB, and phase consistency ±3°.

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