A high-power array antenna testing system and method

Abstract

The application discloses a high-power array antenna testing system and method, and the system comprises a phase reference source cabinet, a high-power power amplifier cabinet, a correction cabinet, a vector network analyzer and an industrial computer. The phase reference source cabinet generates multiple phase reference signals with adjustable amplitude and phase, and the signals are amplified by the high-power power amplifier cabinet to excite the measured antenna. A ring isolator switch matrix is arranged in the high-power power amplifier cabinet, the reflected signals are isolated by the ring isolator group to protect the power amplifier, and a bidirectional coupler is used to extract forward and reverse powers. The correction cabinet attenuates and switches the signals, and cooperates with the vector network analyzer to complete multi-channel amplitude and phase correction. The system integrates liquid cooling heat dissipation and infrared thermal imaging monitoring, and realizes integrated evaluation of antenna port characteristics and thermal stress.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of antenna testing technology, and more specifically, to a high-power array antenna testing system and method. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of communication and radar technologies, array antennas are widely used in various wireless systems. According to the working principle of array antennas, the energy radiated by each antenna element in the array is vector-superimposed in space, and the desired beam is achieved by pre-weighting the amplitude and phase of the signals from each antenna. The scanning performance of an array antenna is affected by the mutual coupling between the antenna elements in the array. The degree of mutual coupling is mainly determined by the arrangement of the antenna elements and the antenna array, as well as the signal amplitude and phase on each antenna element. As the spacing between radiating elements decreases, the mutual coupling between elements increases, severely affecting the current distribution, radiated power, radiation impedance, and input impedance of the antenna elements. Simultaneously, during array antenna scanning, due to the mutual coupling, the power experienced by an antenna element and its reflected power may exceed its excitation power. On the one hand, excessive coupling power may cause heat accumulation in the antenna, eventually burning it out; on the other hand, excessive reflected power may burn out the active components at the back end of the array antenna.

[0003] Currently, the main testing system for mutual coupling effects in array antennas is the active standing wave (VSWR) test system. This system can generate multi-channel coherent signals and control the amplitude and phase of antenna elements, simulating the mutual coupling of the antenna array in various scanning states and testing active VSWR. However, it lacks high-power excitation capability, and cannot test the actual power tolerance capability of the array antenna or its temperature field distribution under high-power excitation. Consequently, it cannot provide accurate test data support and improvement guidance for antenna power and temperature tolerance design; nor can it accurately test the antenna port characteristics under high-power excitation, thus failing to provide effective test data support for the reflection power tolerance design of downstream active components. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a high-power array antenna testing system and method. It provides a high-power coherent excitation signal for the array antenna, enabling real-time monitoring of the excitation power, reflected power, and array radiating surface temperature at different scanning angles. This solves the problems of power and temperature tolerance testing of array antennas, as well as the accurate testing of port characteristics under high-power excitation. The system mainly possesses the following capabilities: 1. Generation of multi-channel high-power coherent excitation signals with constant initial phase; 2. Accurate extraction of incident / reflected power coupling from the array antenna; 3. High amplitude, phase consistency, and high-resolution adjustment capabilities for the multi-channel high-power coherent excitation signal; 4. System power and temperature tolerance self-protection capabilities; 5. High-efficiency system correction capabilities based on an external coupling link; 6. Array antenna temperature field monitoring capabilities.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a high-power array antenna testing system, comprising: A coherent source cabinet is used to generate multiple coherent radio frequency excitation signals; the amplitude and phase of the coherent radio frequency excitation signals are adjustable. A high-power amplifier cabinet, the input of which is connected to the output of the coherent source cabinet, is used to amplify the coherent radio frequency excitation signal to generate multiple high-power excitation signals and output them to the array antenna under test. The calibration cabinet has its input terminal connected to the output terminal of the high-power amplifier cabinet, and its output terminal is used to connect to a vector network analyzer. The calibration cabinet is used to perform power attenuation and channel switching on the received high-power excitation signal in the system calibration state, and output the attenuated and switched signal to the vector network analyzer. The high-power amplifier cabinet includes a ring isolator matrix, which contains at least a ring isolator group and a bidirectional coupler. The ring isolator group is connected in series between the final stage of the power amplifier and the output port to isolate the reflected signal from the antenna port of the array under test to protect the power amplifier link. The bidirectional coupler is used to couple and extract the incident power signal and reflected power signal of each channel. The industrial control computer is connected to the phase coherent source cabinet, high-power amplifier cabinet, calibration cabinet and vector network analyzer via a local area network, and is used to perform system amplitude and phase correction control and test process control.

[0006] Furthermore, the coherent source cabinet includes: A reference clock distribution source; Multiple multi-channel signal sources are connected to the reference clock distribution source; The reference clock distribution source is used to provide a unified synchronous clock signal and synchronous trigger signal for the multiple multi-channel signal sources, so that the phase of each radio frequency excitation signal output by the multiple multi-channel signal sources is coherent.

[0007] Furthermore, the high-power amplifier cabinet includes multiple dual-channel amplifier units, each of which is equipped with a high-power single-pole double-throw switch for switching between amplification branches in different operating frequency bands.

[0008] Furthermore, the ring-isolated switch matrix also includes: A high-power single-pole multi-throw switch is connected to the ring isolator group and is used to select the ring isolator group of the corresponding frequency band according to the current operating frequency band. The detection circuit, connected to the coupling end of the bidirectional coupler, is used to monitor the forward and reverse power levels in real time, and to generate a control signal to cut off the power supply to the power amplifier when abnormal reflection or overexcitation is detected.

[0009] Furthermore, the ring-isolated switch matrix also includes a multi-selector switch unit; The input terminal of the multiple-choice switch unit is connected to the coupling output terminal of the bidirectional coupler corresponding to each channel, and is used to select the forward coupling signal or the reverse coupling signal from the bidirectional coupler of each channel in a time-division manner, and output the selected signal to the external power probe interface.

[0010] Furthermore, the calibration cabinet includes: Multi-stage cascaded switch arrays; Multiple high-power fixed attenuators are respectively connected to the input ports of the switch array; The switch array is used to sequentially switch multiple attenuated high-power excitation signals to multiple test ports of the vector network analyzer, so that the vector network analyzer can perform multi-channel amplitude and phase consistency measurements.

[0011] Furthermore, the system also includes a liquid cooling source, which is connected to the high-power amplifier cabinet via liquid cooling pipes to provide heat dissipation for the power amplifier units and ring isolation switch matrix inside the high-power amplifier cabinet, so as to maintain stable operating temperature.

[0012] Furthermore, the system also includes an explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging gimbal, which is communicatively connected to the industrial control computer, for real-time monitoring of the surface temperature field distribution of the array antenna under test during the test, and for transmitting the temperature data to the industrial control computer.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a high-power array antenna testing method, applied to the high-power array antenna testing system described in the first aspect above, comprising: Power on the phase coherent source cabinet, high-power amplifier cabinet and calibration cabinet, and the phase coherent source cabinet performs amplitude and phase self-test; Connect each output channel of the high-power amplifier cabinet to the corresponding input port of the calibration cabinet, and connect the output port of the calibration cabinet to the vector network analyzer and / or power probe; Set the target correction frequency, output power, and tolerance range; The industrial control computer controls the switch array in the calibration cabinet to select a reference channel and controls the phase coherent source cabinet to adjust the excitation parameters until the signal measured by the external power probe or vector network analyzer meets the set tolerance, and saves the current parameters as a reference benchmark. The industrial control computer controls the switch array in the calibration cabinet to sequentially select the remaining channels to be calibrated. The vector network analyzer collects the amplitude and phase difference values ​​of each channel relative to the reference channel, and controls the phase coherent source cabinet to adjust the amplitude and phase of the corresponding channel until the amplitude and phase consistency of the output signal of each channel meets the preset tolerance.

[0014] Furthermore, the method also includes the following testing steps: Connect each output channel of the high-power amplifier cabinet to the corresponding port of the array antenna under test; The industrial control computer loads the channel parameters saved during the calibration process, and sets the operating frequency, power, and scanning phase; Start the high-power amplifier cabinet to output a high-power excitation signal to the antenna under test; The incident and reflected power of each channel are monitored by a power probe, and the antenna array temperature data is acquired in real time by an explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging gimbal and displayed on the industrial control computer interface.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: In this invention, multiple multi-channel signal sources are synchronized by a reference clock distribution source, which can generate up to 16 high-power coherent excitation signals, and the amplitude and phase can be independently and precisely adjusted, providing an excitation basis for beam scanning tests of array antennas.

[0016] This invention isolates reflected signals by using a ring isolator group in a ring-isolated switch matrix, and combines a bidirectional coupler with a detection circuit to monitor the power status in real time. It can cut off the power supply to the power amplifier at the hardware level in case of abnormal reflection or over-excitation, effectively protecting expensive high-power power amplifier devices.

[0017] This invention utilizes the switch array and high-power attenuator in the calibration cabinet, in conjunction with a vector network analyzer, to achieve automated and precise correction of amplitude-phase inconsistency in each channel of a high-power link, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of test results.

[0018] This invention incorporates an integrated liquid cooling source to maintain the system's own operating temperature stability, and uses an explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging gimbal to monitor the temperature field distribution of the antenna array under test in real time. This fills the gap in traditional testing, which only focuses on electrical performance, and enables a comprehensive evaluation of the antenna's power handling capability.

[0019] Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing embodiments of the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the written description, claims, and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall architecture of the high-power array antenna testing system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the coherent source cabinet in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a high-power amplifier cabinet in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the calibration cabinet in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the signal connection relationship when the system performs calibration work in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the signal connection relationship when the system performs testing work in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. Furthermore, in the description of this invention, terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] Example 1: See Figure 1 This embodiment provides a high-power array antenna testing system with an operating frequency band covering 0.35GHz to 2GHz and a single-channel rated output power of 125W. The system consists of component 1 (coherent source cabinet), component 2 (high-power amplifier cabinet), component 3 (calibration cabinet), component 4 (vector network analyzer), component 5 (power probe-1), component 6 (power probe-2), component 7 (liquid cooling source), component 8 (explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging gimbal), and component 9 (industrial control computer).

[0030] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 The coherent source cabinet 1 consists of four four-channel signal sources (101~104) and one reference clock distribution source 11. The reference clock distribution source 11 provides the four four-channel signal sources with a unified synchronization clock signal (CLK), synchronization signal (SYNC), and trigger signal (TRIG), ensuring that the four signal sources can output a total of sixteen high-resolution coherent RF excitation signals with independently adjustable amplitude and phase. The interface panel of the coherent source cabinet 1 is equipped with a LAN network interface for connecting to the system control local area network; it also has a 100MHz reference clock output from the reference clock distribution source 11, used to provide a synchronization clock for the vector network analyzer during calibration.

[0031] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 The high-power amplifier cabinet 2 contains eight dual-channel power amplifier units (121~128) and a ring-isolated switch matrix 13. The sixteen coherent RF excitation signals (X1~X16) generated by the coherent source cabinet 1 are connected to the high-power amplifier cabinet 2 via RF bundled cables and distributed to each dual-channel power amplifier unit for power amplification, generating sixteen high-power excitation signals (CH1~CH16).

[0032] Each dual-channel power amplifier unit is equipped with a high-power single-pole double-throw switch, which is used to switch between the amplification branches in the two frequency bands of 0.35GHz~0.8GHz and 0.8GHz~2GHz to ensure wideband high-power output performance.

[0033] The ring isolator matrix 13 mainly consists of a high-power single-pole multi-throw switch, a ring isolator group, and a bidirectional coupler. The ring isolator group is divided into multiple groups according to the operating frequency band and connected in series between the final stage of the power amplifier and the output port. It is used to isolate the reflected signal generated by the antenna under test due to impedance mismatch, protecting the power amplifier unit from burnout. The bidirectional coupler is used to couple and extract the incident power signal (forward coupling signal) and reflected power signal (reverse coupling signal) of each channel. The coupling output of the bidirectional coupler is connected to a detection circuit for real-time monitoring of the forward and reverse power levels. When abnormal reflection or over-excitation is detected, the detection circuit generates a control signal to cut off the power supply to the power amplifier unit, achieving rapid hardware-level protection.

[0034] In addition, the ring isolation switch matrix 13 also includes a multi-select switch unit. The input terminal of the multi-select switch unit is connected to the coupling output terminal of the bidirectional coupler of each channel, and can select the forward coupling signal or the reverse coupling signal from any channel in a time-division manner, and output the selected signal to the C1 and C2 ports of the cabinet panel for accurate measurement by external power probes (parts 5 and 6).

[0035] The interface panel of the high-power amplifier cabinet 2 is also equipped with liquid-cooled input / output interfaces, which are connected to the liquid cooling source 7. The coolant is delivered to the dual-channel power amplifier unit and the ring-isolated switch matrix through a liquid distribution structure to dissipate heat from the heat-generating components and control the temperature drift of the components within ±5℃, thereby ensuring the amplitude and phase stability of the output signal.

[0036] See Figure 1 and Figure 4 The input terminals (J1~J16) of calibration cabinet 3 are used to connect to the output channels (CH1~CH16) of the high-power amplifier cabinet, and its output terminals (P1~P4) are used to connect to the test ports of vector network analyzer 4. Calibration cabinet 3 internally includes a multi-stage switch array (21~23) composed of multiple high-power fixed attenuators (31~311) and cascaded single-pole multi-throw mechanical switches. The high-power fixed attenuators attenuate the input high-power excitation signal to a safe level that the vector network analyzer can withstand, while the switch array sequentially switches the attenuated multiple signals to different test ports of the vector network analyzer for multi-channel amplitude and phase consistency measurement.

[0037] See Figure 5 During system calibration, coherent source cabinet 1, high-power amplifier cabinet 2, calibration cabinet 3, and industrial computer 9 are connected to the local area network via LAN interfaces. Liquid cooling source 7 provides heat dissipation for high-power amplifier cabinet 2. The sixteen signals output from coherent source cabinet 1 are amplified by high-power amplifier cabinet 2 and then connected to ports J1~J16 of calibration cabinet 3. Port P1 of calibration cabinet 3 is connected to power probe-1 (piece 5), and ports P1~P4 are connected to vector network analyzer 4.

[0038] The calibration process is as follows: Step S101: The system is powered on, and the phase coherent source cabinet 1 performs an amplitude and phase self-test to ensure that the initial amplitude and phase states are consistent.

[0039] Step S102: Set the frequency point to be calibrated, the target output power, and the calibration tolerance on the industrial control computer 9.

[0040] Step S103: The industrial control computer 9 controls the switch array in the calibration cabinet 3, selects the first channel (CH1) as the reference channel, and outputs the signal from the P1 port to the power probe-1 after attenuation.

[0041] Step S104: The industrial control computer 9 controls the coherent source cabinet 1 to adjust the excitation parameters of the corresponding channel X1 until the power measured by the power probe-1 meets the set target value and tolerance range, and saves the current parameters as a reference.

[0042] Step S105: The industrial control computer 9 controls the calibration cabinet 3 to sequentially select the remaining channels to be calibrated (CH2~CH16), and switches the signal to the P2~P4 ports of the vector network analyzer 4 after attenuation.

[0043] Step S106: The vector network analyzer 4 uses the reference channel signal as a reference to collect the amplitude and phase difference values ​​of each channel to be corrected and feeds them back to the industrial control computer 9.

[0044] Step S107: The industrial control computer 9 controls the phase coherent source cabinet 1 to adjust the amplitude and phase parameters of the corresponding channels (X2~X16) until the amplitude and phase consistency of all channel output signals measured by the vector network analyzer 4 meets the preset tolerance requirements, and saves all channel parameters. Calibration complete.

[0045] See Figure 6 During system testing, the output channels (CH1~CH16) of the high-power amplifier cabinet 2 are directly connected to the corresponding ports of the antenna array under test. Power probe-1 (piece 5) and power probe-2 (piece 6) are connected to ports C1 and C2 of the high-power amplifier cabinet 2, respectively, to monitor the incident power and reflected power of the antenna ports. An explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging pan-tilt unit 8 is mounted in front of the antenna array under test to acquire infrared thermal images and temperature data of the antenna array surface in real time.

[0046] The specific testing process is as follows: Step S201: The system is powered on, and the phase-coherent source cabinet 1 performs an amplitude-phase self-test.

[0047] Step S202: The industrial control computer 9 loads the channel parameters saved in the calibration step.

[0048] Step S203: The industrial control computer 9 sets the operating frequency, output power of each channel, and phase value of each channel used to achieve beam scanning according to the test requirements.

[0049] Step S204: Start the high-power amplifier cabinet 2 and output sixteen high-power excitation signals to the array antenna under test.

[0050] Step S205: The industrial control computer 9 collects the incident power and reflected power data of each channel in real time through power probe-1 and power probe-2, and displays the port characteristics at different frequencies, powers and scanning angles on the human-machine interface.

[0051] Step S206: Simultaneously, the explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging gimbal 8 monitors the temperature field distribution of the antenna array in real time and transmits the temperature data to the industrial control computer 9 via the LAN network for real-time display and recording, so as to evaluate the antenna's thermal stress resistance under continuous high power.

[0052] In summary, the high-power array antenna testing system provided by this invention, through the organic combination of a phase coherent source cabinet, a high-power power amplifier cabinet with an integrated ring-isolated switch matrix, a calibration cabinet, and a thermal imaging monitoring device, achieves multi-channel high-power phase coherent excitation, hardware-level power amplifier protection, high-precision amplitude and phase correction of the system, and integrated thermal-electrical testing and evaluation. It effectively solves the shortcomings of the prior art and has significant technological progress and industrial application value.

[0053] Example 2: This embodiment provides a high-power array antenna testing method based on the above system, including calibration steps and testing steps.

[0054] Calibration steps: After the system powers on, the coherent source cabinet performs an amplitude and phase self-test. The sixteen output channels of the high-power amplifier cabinet are connected to the corresponding input ports of the calibration cabinet. The output ports of the calibration cabinet are connected to a vector network analyzer and a power probe. The industrial control computer (ICC) sets the calibration frequency, target power, and tolerance range. First, the first channel is selected as the reference channel, and after attenuation by the calibration cabinet, it is output to the power probe. The ICC adjusts the excitation parameters of the first channel of the coherent source cabinet until the signal measured by the power probe meets the set tolerance, and saves the parameters as a reference. Subsequently, the ICC controls the switch array of the calibration cabinet to sequentially select the remaining fifteen channels to be calibrated, switching the attenuated signals to each port of the vector network analyzer. The vector network analyzer collects the amplitude and phase difference values ​​of each channel based on the reference channel. The ICC adjusts the amplitude and phase of the corresponding channel in the coherent source cabinet accordingly until the amplitude and phase consistency of the output signals of all channels meets the preset tolerance requirements, and saves all channel parameters.

[0055] Test steps: After calibration, connect each output channel of the high-power amplifier cabinet to the corresponding port of the antenna under test. The industrial control computer loads the calibrated and saved channel parameters, setting the operating frequency, output power, and beam scanning phase. Start the high-power amplifier cabinet, outputting sixteen high-power excitation signals to the antenna. Power probes monitor the incident and reflected power of each channel in real time through ports C1 and C2 of the high-power amplifier cabinet; simultaneously, an explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging pan-tilt unit collects real-time temperature field data of the antenna array and transmits it to the industrial control computer interface for display, achieving integrated testing and evaluation of antenna port characteristics and thermal stress.

[0056] It should be noted that the specific manner in which each module performs its operation in the apparatus described in the above embodiments has been described in detail in the embodiments of the method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0057] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0058] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A high-power array antenna testing system, characterized in that, include: Coherent source cabinet, used to generate multiple coherent RF excitation signals; The amplitude and phase of the coherent radio frequency excitation signal are adjustable; A high-power amplifier cabinet, the input of which is connected to the output of the coherent source cabinet, is used to amplify the coherent radio frequency excitation signal to generate multiple high-power excitation signals and output them to the array antenna under test. A calibration cabinet has its input terminal connected to the output terminal of the high-power amplifier cabinet and its output terminal connected to a vector network analyzer. The calibration cabinet is used to perform power attenuation and channel switching on the received high-power excitation signal in the system calibration state, and output the attenuated and switched signal to the vector network analyzer. The high-power amplifier cabinet includes a ring isolator matrix, which contains at least a ring isolator group and a bidirectional coupler. The ring isolator group is connected in series between the final stage of the power amplifier and the output port to isolate the reflected signal of the antenna port of the array under test to protect the power amplifier link. The bidirectional coupler is used to couple and extract the incident power signal and reflected power signal of each channel.

2. The high-power array antenna testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coherent source cabinet includes: A reference clock allocation source; Multiple multi-channel signal sources are connected to the reference clock distribution source; The reference clock distribution source is used to provide a unified synchronous clock signal and synchronous trigger signal for the multiple multi-channel signal sources, so that the phase of each radio frequency excitation signal output by the multiple multi-channel signal sources is coherent.

3. The high-power array antenna testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The high-power amplifier cabinet includes multiple dual-channel amplifier units, each of which is equipped with a high-power single-pole double-throw switch for switching between amplification branches in different operating frequency bands.

4. The high-power array antenna testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ring isolation switch includes: A high-power single-pole multi-throw switch is used to select the ring isolator group corresponding to different frequency bands; The detection circuit, connected to the coupling end of the bidirectional coupler, is used to monitor the forward and reverse power levels in real time, and to generate a control signal to cut off the power supply to the power amplifier when abnormal reflection or overexcitation is detected.

5. A high-power array antenna testing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The ring-isolated switch matrix also includes a multi-selector switch unit; The input terminal of the multiple-choice switch unit is connected to the coupling output terminal of the bidirectional coupler corresponding to each channel, and is used to select the forward coupling signal or the reverse coupling signal from the bidirectional coupler of each channel in a time-division manner, and output the forward coupling signal or the reverse coupling signal to the external power probe interface.

6. The high-power array antenna testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The calibration cabinet includes: Multi-stage cascaded switch arrays; Multiple high-power fixed attenuators are respectively connected to the input ports of the switch array; The switch array is used to sequentially switch multiple attenuated high-power excitation signals to multiple test ports of the vector network analyzer, so that the vector network analyzer can perform multi-channel amplitude and phase consistency measurements.

7. A high-power array antenna testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a liquid cooling source, which is connected to the high-power amplifier cabinet through liquid cooling pipelines to provide heat dissipation for the power amplifier units and ring isolation switch matrix inside the high-power amplifier cabinet, so as to maintain stable operating temperature.

8. A high-power array antenna testing system according to any one of claims 1 or 7, characterized in that, It also includes an explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging gimbal, which is connected to an industrial control computer to monitor the surface temperature field distribution of the antenna under test in real time during the test and transmit the temperature data to the industrial control computer. The industrial control computer is connected to the coherent source cabinet, high-power amplifier cabinet and calibration cabinet via a local area network, and is used to perform system control.

9. A method for testing a high-power array antenna according to the system described in claim 1, characterized in that, include: Power on the phase coherent source cabinet, high-power amplifier cabinet and calibration cabinet, and the phase coherent source cabinet performs amplitude and phase self-test; Connect each output channel of the high-power amplifier cabinet to the corresponding input port of the calibration cabinet, and connect the output port of the calibration cabinet to the vector network analyzer and / or power probe; Set the target correction frequency, output power, and tolerance range; The industrial control computer controls the switch array in the calibration cabinet to select a reference channel and controls the phase coherent source cabinet to adjust the excitation parameters until the signal measured by the external power probe or vector network analyzer meets the set tolerance, and saves the current parameters as a reference benchmark. The industrial control computer controls the switch array in the calibration cabinet to sequentially select the remaining channels to be calibrated. The vector network analyzer collects the amplitude and phase difference values ​​of each channel relative to the reference channel, and controls the phase coherent source cabinet to adjust the amplitude and phase of the corresponding channel until the amplitude and phase consistency of the output signal of each channel meets the preset tolerance.

10. The high-power array antenna testing method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The following test steps are also included: Connect each output channel of the high-power amplifier cabinet to the corresponding port of the array antenna under test; The industrial control computer loads the channel parameters saved during the calibration process, and sets the operating frequency, power, and scanning phase; Start the high-power amplifier cabinet to output a high-power excitation signal to the antenna under test; The incident and reflected power of each channel are monitored by a power probe, and the antenna array temperature data is acquired in real time by an explosion-proof binocular infrared thermal imaging gimbal and displayed on the industrial control computer interface.

Images