Multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module

Abstract

The utility model relates to a multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude-phase conditioning module, which is used for a satellite-borne phased array radar and comprises a module shell, a phase conditioning unit, an amplitude control unit, an optical power distribution unit and an electric control unit, and the phase conditioning unit, the amplitude control unit, the optical power distribution unit and the electric control unit are integrated in the module shell. A high-precision optical fiber delay control technology and an optical fiber flexible board integration technology are adopted, bare optical fiber integration is carried out on amplitude control and phase conditioning of optical signals, the functions of multi-channel, high-integration and high-precision amplitude and phase conditioning, optical power distribution and the like are achieved, an ASAAC modular structure is adopted, interface interconnection is reduced, the system structure difficulty is lowered, and the system reliability is improved. And meanwhile, the reliability and the maintainability are greatly improved, the whole module has the characteristics of high precision, integration, miniaturization and the like, the amplitude-phase consistency control requirement of an existing spaceborne radar optical transmission link can be met, and an engineering solution for amplitude-phase consistency control can be provided for wide application of all-optical radars and microwave photon radars in the future.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of satellite-borne phased array radar optical data transmission, and in particular to a multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module. Background Art

[0002] The application of modern phased array radar is very extensive and profound. Optically controlled phased array radar based on fiber optic transmission system has attracted increasing attention due to its ultra-high transmission data bandwidth. The increase in data bandwidth further improves the accuracy of radar detection. However, in the face of complex application environments, such as satellite-borne equipment, the amplitude and phase consistency control of the fiber optic transmission system is extremely difficult to achieve.

[0003] Traditional optical signal conditioning systems usually require components such as wavelength division multiplexers, circulators, and Faraday rotators. The complex link structure makes the entire conditioning system large in size and high in cost. It is not easy to manufacture and assemble in a modular manner and is not suitable for use in satellite-borne equipment.

[0004] In the existing satellite-borne radar system, the main method of amplitude and phase conditioning control of optical signals is to perform high-precision length control of the transmission optical fiber, and then perform multi-channel optical power control through an optical attenuator. Since the existing amplitude conditioning, phase conditioning, and optical power distribution are all independent modules, they are cascaded with each other, resulting in long links, large volume, and heavy weight. The longer the optical fiber link, the lower the phase control accuracy, and the greater the difficulty of engineering implementation. In addition, the independent modules also have the problems of low integration and single function, which are not easy to assemble in a modular manner and cannot adapt to the rapidly developing modular control system requirements. In addition, the hardware structure is complicated and the links are lengthy, which greatly reduces the reliability of the entire system. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the defects of the prior art, the utility model provides a multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module. The module not only has high amplitude and phase control accuracy, but also has high integration. It can simultaneously realize the amplitude, phase and power conditioning of optical signals. The standard ASAAC modular structure is convenient for integrated installation, and is particularly suitable for the engineering application of optically controlled phased array radar.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is:

[0007] A multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module is used for a phased array radar system. The amplitude and phase conditioning module adopts an ASAAC modular structure, including a module housing and a phase conditioning unit, an amplitude control unit, an optical power distribution unit and an electrical control unit integrated in the module housing. The phase conditioning unit includes a plurality of 1×N optical switches and an integrated time-delay optical fiber flexible board. The time-delay optical fiber flexible board is a stacked multi-layer optical fiber flexible board. Each channel corresponds to a layer of optical fiber flexible board. Each layer of optical fiber flexible board is integrated with N bare optical fibers of different lengths. The lengths of the N bare optical fibers are progressive in sequence. The input and output ends of the N bare optical fibers are respectively terminated with 1×N optical switch devices. The amplitude control unit includes a VOA component. The VOA component is connected to the 1×N optical switch device at the output end of the phase conditioning unit. The optical power distribution unit includes an optical power subassembly. The optical power subassembly is connected to the output end of the VOA component. Each unit is driven and controlled by the electrical control unit.

[0008] Furthermore, the optical fibers in the optical path of the module are controlled in equal length with high precision, and the lengths of the N bare optical fibers on each layer of the optical fiber flexible plate are progressively increased by 2 mm, and the bare optical fibers are radiation-resistant bare optical fibers.

[0009] Furthermore, the tail optical fiber of the 1×N optical switch device is sheathed with a radiation-resistant cable sheath for protection.

[0010] Furthermore, the electrical control unit is integrated on a PCB board, and includes a microcontroller, a power conversion circuit, a state acquisition circuit, and a DAC array. The microcontroller communicates and configures parameters with the DAC array via an SPI bus interface, and is used to control the DAC array to output different control voltages to switch channels of the 1×N optical switch, thereby realizing the selection of optical fiber channels with different phase controls. The DAC array is also connected to the VOA component, and the amplitude conditioning of the optical signal is realized by synchronously controlling the attenuation control level of the VOA component via the DAC array.

[0011] Furthermore, the amplitude and phase conditioning module adopts a LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector to achieve optoelectronic interconnection with the outside. The LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector is crimped on the PCB board and is located at the front end of the module. Its optical input interface is connected to the 1×N type optical switch at the input end of the phase conditioning unit, and the optical output interface is connected to the output end of the optical power distribution unit.

[0012] Furthermore, the microcontroller and DAC array both use radiation-resistant devices, and single-particle reinforcement is performed on weak points.

[0013] Furthermore, the phase adjustment unit, the amplitude control unit and the optical power distribution unit are connected and interconnected in a unified manner using MT optical ports.

[0014] Furthermore, the components of the phase adjustment unit, the amplitude control unit and the optical power distribution unit are arranged in two layers in the module housing, and are supported and fixed by an aluminum alloy support plate in the middle.

[0015] Furthermore, the aluminum alloy support plate is provided with multiple rows of waist-shaped holes to facilitate position adjustment of the MT connector.

[0016] Furthermore, a locking strip and a lifter are provided on the edge of the module housing.

[0017] Beneficial effects:

[0018] 1. The utility model designs a high-precision phase conditioning component, which effectively adopts high-precision fiber delay control technology and fiber flex board integration technology, integrates N optical fibers of different lengths into a whole fiber flex board, and the lengths between the N bare optical fibers are progressively increased by 2mm. The input and output ends of the bare optical fibers are respectively terminated with 1×N optical switch devices, so as to achieve high-precision phase conditioning while simplifying the length of the optical fiber link, greatly reducing the volume and size of the module.

[0019] 2. The module of the utility model integrates the amplitude control and phase modulation of the optical signal into bare optical fiber, realizes multi-channel, high-integration, high-precision amplitude and phase modulation and other functions, and integrates multiple functions into one module, with high integration.

[0020] 3. The utility model adopts the ASAAC modular structure, which not only reduces the interface interconnection and the difficulty of system structure, but also greatly improves the reliability and maintainability of the system.

[0021] In summary, the utility model has the characteristics of high precision, integration, and miniaturization. It can meet the requirements of amplitude and phase consistency control of existing satellite-borne radar optical transmission links, and can provide an engineering solution for amplitude and phase consistency control for the widespread application of future all-optical radars and microwave photon radars. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 The overall structure of the utility model is realized in the block diagram.

[0023] Figure 2 The single-channel phase adjustment implementation block diagram of the utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the module appearance of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the internal upper structure of the module of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the lower structure inside the module of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the amplitude and phase adjustment components in the module of the utility model.

[0028] Figure numerals: 1-electric control unit, 1-1 is LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector, 1-2 is microcontroller, 1-3 is DAC array; 2-optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning component, 2-1 is 1×N type optical switch, 2-2 is delay optical fiber flexible board, 2-3 is MT connector, 2-4 is VOA component, 2-5 is optical power division component, 2-6 is radiation-resistant optical fiber; 3-structural components, among which 3-1 is module housing, 3-2 is locking strip, and 3-3 is puller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0030] The utility model designs a multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module based on the ASAAC (Adaptive Security and Safety Assessmentfor Cyber-Physical Systems, a standard module for the safety and reliability of networked physical systems) structure, which mainly solves the amplitude and phase consistency control problem of the optical transmission link in the satellite-borne radar system.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, from the perspective of the overall implementation architecture, the multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module of the utility model mainly includes a phase conditioning unit, an amplitude control unit, an optical power distribution unit, an electrical control unit and an assembly structure unit. The assembly structure unit adopts an ASAAC modular structure to provide a hardware installation structure for other units.

[0032] The phase conditioning unit is the core of the module's full optical path, including multiple 1×N optical switches and an integrated time-delay fiber optic flexible board. The time-delay fiber optic flexible board is a multi-layer stacked fiber optic flexible board. Each channel corresponds to a layer of fiber optic flexible board. Each layer of fiber optic flexible board is integrated with N bare optical fibers of different lengths. The lengths of the N bare optical fibers are progressively increased by 2 mm (the progressive length corresponds to the phase step). The input and output ends of the N bare optical fibers are respectively terminated with 1×N optical switch devices.

[0033] If the number of channels that the module needs to achieve amplitude and phase adjustment is m, the module contains m×2 1×N optical switch devices and m layers of optical fiber flexible boards; the optical signal input end is divided into m 1×N optical switch devices, and the back end is connected to m layers of optical fiber flexible boards. Each layer of optical fiber flexible boards contains N bare optical fibers, and N depends on the total range of optical signal phase adjustment; the output end of this unit is also divided into m 1×N optical switch devices, thus forming a complete phase adjustment function.

[0034] Among them, the phase adjustment principle of a single channel is as follows Figure 2 As shown. Taking the total phase adjustment range of 0~150ps as an example, the length of the first bare fiber in the fiber flex board is defined as the reference length L0, and the phase step is 10ps. Therefore, within the total phase adjustment range, there must be 1 reference length fiber + 15 step length fibers, a total of 16 fibers. Starting from the second fiber, the fiber length is 2mm longer than the previous fiber (corresponding to an optical delay of 10ps), and the third fiber is 2mm longer (10ps) on the basis of the second fiber... The 16th fiber is 2mm longer than the 15th fiber and 30mm longer than the 1st fiber (150ps). Based on the phase adjustment of a single channel, multi-channel phase adjustment can be achieved by stacking 1×N optical switches at the input and output ends and multi-layer fiber flex boards (one layer corresponds to one channel).

[0035] The amplitude control unit is located at the back stage of the phase modulation conditioning unit, and includes a VOA (Variable Optical Attenuator, VOA for short) component. The VOA component is connected to the 1×N optical switch device at the output end of the phase conditioning unit, and amplitude conditioning is achieved through m (corresponding to the number of channels) VOAs. When constructing the unit, it is necessary to use precise fiber cutting technology to ensure that the optical fibers of the m VOAs are precisely the same length. The multi-channel optical fiber output end is an MT optical port, which is convenient for termination with the functional units at the back stage.

[0036] The optical power distribution unit includes an optical power division component, which is connected to the output end of the VOA component and is used to divide the optical signal into multiple different power outputs. The core is an optical splitter realized based on the fused taper process, and the distribution ratio can be adjusted as needed.

[0037] The electrical control unit includes a microcontroller, a power conversion circuit, a state acquisition circuit, and a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) array. The microcontroller communicates and configures parameters with the DAC array through the SPI bus interface. The DAC array outputs different control voltages to switch channels of the 1×N optical switch, thereby realizing the selection of optical fiber channels with different phase controls; the DAC array synchronously controls the attenuation control level of the VOA component to achieve amplitude conditioning of the optical signal.

[0038] The entire module uses a LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector to achieve optoelectronic interconnection with the outside. The LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector includes an optical input interface, an optical output interface, a power interface, and a communication interface. The optical input interface is connected to the 1×N optical switch at the input end, the optical output interface is connected to the output end of the optical power subassembly, the DAC array of the electrical control unit and the power module of the microcontroller are respectively connected to the power interface (including 12v and 5V), and the microcontroller is connected to the communication interface through the CAN bus.

[0039] To ensure the accuracy of amplitude and phase conditioning, the length of each optical fiber in the module needs to be controlled with high precision. The length of the common optical path in the module (including the optical power splitter, adjustable optical attenuation (VOA), and the tail optical fiber of the optical switch) is matched and aligned through high-precision optical fiber measurement and length determination, thereby achieving equal length control of the optical fibers of the amplitude control unit and the optical power distribution unit. Without the phase conditioning unit, the stepping accuracy of the optical fiber length between the multiple channels of the other functional units is generally controlled within ±0.1mm (±0.5ps). The 1×N optical switch in the module can achieve equal length control through high-precision fiber length measurement and precision cutting technology. Usually, the length step accuracy is controlled within ±0.1mm (±0.5ps). The fiber flex board is terminated with the 1×N optical switch device using the MT optical port. During the production process of the delayed fiber flex board, N optical fibers are integrated on a fiber flex board through a flexible board stacking process with dense optical fibers. Each channel corresponds to a fiber flex board. The fiber length step accuracy of the fiber flex board part is generally controlled within ±0.2mm (±1ps). At this point, the step accuracy of the full-amplitude phase-modulated optical path can be controlled within ±0.4mm (±2ps).

[0040] The amplitude and phase conditioning working process of the entire module is as follows: when the optical signals of m channels are input into this module, they first enter the phase conditioning unit, which has an initialization state, that is, the phase conditioning of each channel is a baseline state of 0ps. When the upper system needs to perform phase conditioning on one of the signals, the electrical control unit controls the selection of different channels of the 1×N optical switch, thereby realizing the selection of different phase conditioning paths in the optical fiber flexible board, and then realizing the phase conditioning function. After the optical signal completes phase conditioning, it enters the amplitude control unit. Similar to phase conditioning, when the upper system has a need for amplitude conditioning, the microcontroller controls the DAC array to adjust the attenuation of the VOA, thereby realizing the amplitude conditioning of the optical signal. The optical power distribution unit at the output stage mainly realizes the power distribution and signal redundancy functions.

[0041] The module adopts high-precision fiber delay control technology and fiber flex board integration technology to realize high-precision amplitude and phase control conditioning functions for multi-channel optical signals. Through optical integration design, the entire module can achieve phase conditioning in the range of 0~10ps×(N-1), 10ps incremental step, and step accuracy better than ±2ps; at the same time, it has the function of optical signal amplitude control, the attenuation control range can reach 0~15dB, and the attenuation accuracy is ±0.3dB.

[0042] The module appearance is as follows Figure 3 As shown, it adopts the ASSAC standardized structure, the module's dimensions are 233.4mm (length) × 160mm (height) × 24mm (thickness), and the optoelectronic interface adopts the LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector, which is standardized, miniaturized, and modular.

[0043] The entire module includes an electrical control unit 1, an optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning component 2, and a structural component 3. The specific structure inside the module is as follows: Figure 4-5 As shown, the LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector 1-1 is crimped on the PCB board and is located at the front end of the ASAAC box body. The microcontroller 1-2 and the DAC array 1-3 are all soldered on the PCB board to form a complete electrical control unit 1. All active optical devices inside the module, including the 1×N optical switch 2-1 and the VOA component 2-4, have their drive pins soldered on the PCB board. The microcontroller 1-2 in the electrical control unit 1 drives the DAC array 1-3 to realize the drive voltage configuration of each active optical device.

[0044] Among them, the microcontroller 1-2 and DAC array 1-3 all use radiation-resistant devices, and single-particle reinforcement measures based on hardware circuits are designed for applications in satellite space environments.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4-6, the optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning component 2 (including the phase conditioning unit, amplitude control unit, and optical power distribution unit) is divided into two layers inside the module, with an aluminum alloy support plate (hereinafter referred to as the support plate) used as support in the middle (refer to Figure 6 ,in, Figure 6 (a) shows the underlying structure. Figure 6(b) shows the upper structure). The figure takes 4 channels as an example. The upper layer is two groups of 1×N optical switches 2-1, which are the input and output stages of the phase adjustment unit. The optical switch device is fixed by the structural frame. The tail optical fiber is protected by an anti-radiation cable sheath and finally output in the form of an MT optical port. The multi-channel high-precision delay optical fiber flexible board 2-2 is fastened to the back of the support plate by screws. The input and output ports of the delay optical fiber flexible board 2-2 are coiled from the rear end of the support plate to the upper layer and connected and fixed with the MT optical port of the 1×N optical switch 2-1 through the MT connector 2-3. The bare optical fiber uses a radiation-resistant optical fiber 2-6. Because the optical fiber length needs to be precisely adjusted in equal length during the manufacturing process of the complete optical path of the module, multiple rows of waist holes are opened on the support plate to facilitate the MT connector 2-3 to fine-tune the front and rear positions.

[0046] The output optical fiber of the phase adjustment unit is on the upper layer of the support board, and is also connected to the input optical port of the multi-channel VOA component 2-4 through the MT connector 2-3. The output optical port of the VOA component 2-4 is coiled to the lower layer of the support board and connected to the optical power division component 2-5, and finally output to the end optical port of the LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector 1-1 at the front end of the module.

[0047] The structural components include a module housing 3-1, and each functional unit is integrated and arranged in the module housing 3-1 through a PCB board and an aluminum alloy support plate. A locking strip 3-2 and a puller 3-3 are provided on the edge of the module housing 3-1.

[0048] The entire module integrates phase conditioning, amplitude control and power distribution functions through dense placement of devices, bundling and ribboning of multi-core optical fibers, and stacking of multi-layer optical fiber flexible boards. Compared with traditional optical fiber delay systems, the volume and size are greatly reduced. In the all-optical link, the optical fiber flexible boards are all made of radiation-resistant bare optical fibers, and MT optical ports are uniformly used for docking and interconnection between various units, which greatly improves the integration of the entire module and reduces the product weight compared with traditional delay systems.

[0049] The utility model designs a high-precision phase conditioning component, adopts high-precision optical fiber delay control technology and optical fiber flexible board integration technology, integrates N optical fibers of different lengths into a whole optical fiber flexible board, the lengths of the N bare optical fibers are progressively increased by 2mm, and the input and output ends of the bare optical fibers are respectively terminated with 1×N optical switch devices, thereby achieving phase conditioning in the range of 0~10ps×(N-1) (where 10ps is the phase step); the amplitude control and phase conditioning of the optical signal are integrated into the bare optical fiber to achieve multi-channel, high-integration, high-precision amplitude and phase conditioning and other functions; the ASAAC modular structure not only reduces the interface interconnection and reduces the difficulty of the system structure, but also greatly improves the reliability and maintainability of the system.

[0050] In general, the module design based on the ASAAC structure of the utility model enables the product to have a very simple interconnection interface, and multiple functions such as amplitude conditioning, phase conditioning, and optical power distribution are integrated into one. It has high integration, light weight, and is easy for system integration and control. It is of great significance for the integration, lightweight, and miniaturization of future satellite payloads and the engineering application of all-optical radar.

[0051] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not constitute any form of limitation to the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment as above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with the profession can make some changes or modify the technical contents disclosed above into equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module for phased array radar system, characterized in that: The amplitude and phase conditioning module adopts an ASAAC modular structure, including a module housing and a phase conditioning unit, an amplitude control unit, an optical power distribution unit and an electrical control unit integrated in the module housing, wherein the phase conditioning unit includes multiple 1×N optical switches and an integrated time-delay optical fiber flexible board, the time-delay optical fiber flexible board is a stacked multi-layer optical fiber flexible board, each channel corresponds to a layer of optical fiber flexible board, each layer of optical fiber flexible board is integrated with N bare optical fibers of different lengths, the lengths of the N bare optical fibers are progressive in sequence, the input and output ends of the N bare optical fibers are respectively terminated with 1×N optical switch devices, the amplitude control unit includes a VOA component, the VOA component is connected to the 1×N optical switch device at the output end of the phase conditioning unit, the optical power distribution unit includes an optical power subassembly, the optical power subassembly is connected to the output end of the VOA component, and each unit is driven and controlled by the electrical control unit.

2. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fibers in the module optical path are controlled with high precision and equal length. The lengths of the N bare optical fibers on each layer of the optical fiber flexible board are progressively increased by 2 mm. The bare optical fibers are radiation-resistant bare optical fibers.

3. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail optical fiber of the 1×N optical switch device is protected by a radiation-resistant cable sheath.

4. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric control unit is integrated on a PCB board, and includes a microcontroller, a power conversion circuit, a state acquisition circuit, and a DAC array. The microcontroller communicates and configures parameters with the DAC array through an SPI bus interface, and is used to control the DAC array to output different control voltages to switch channels of a 1×N optical switch, thereby realizing the selection of optical fiber channels with different phase controls. The DAC array is also connected to a VOA component, and the amplitude conditioning of an optical signal is realized by synchronously controlling the attenuation control magnitude of the VOA component through the DAC array.

5. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The amplitude-phase conditioning module adopts a LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector to achieve optoelectronic interconnection with the outside. The LRMV optoelectronic hybrid connector is crimped onto the PCB board and is located at the front end of the module. Its optical input interface is connected to the 1×N optical switch at the input end of the phase conditioning unit, and its optical output interface is connected to the output end of the optical power distribution unit.

6. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The microcontroller and DAC array both use radiation-resistant devices, and single-particle reinforcement is performed on weak points.

7. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase adjustment unit, the amplitude control unit and the optical power distribution unit are connected and interconnected in a unified manner using MT optical ports.

8. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 7, characterized in that: The components of the phase adjustment unit, the amplitude control unit and the optical power distribution unit are arranged in two layers in the module housing, and are supported and fixed by an aluminum alloy support plate in the middle.

9. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 8, characterized in that: The aluminum alloy support plate is provided with multiple rows of waist-shaped holes to facilitate the position adjustment of the MT connector.

10. The multi-channel integrated high-precision satellite-borne optical transmission amplitude and phase conditioning module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A locking strip and a puller are provided at the edge of the module housing.

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