Radio frequency TR frequency conversion assembly based on beam forming chip

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the field of radio frequency TR assemblies, and particularly relates to a TR frequency conversion assembly based on an integrated beam forming chip of a security radar. According to the utility model, radio-frequency signals received by eight antennas are synthesized, a synthesized radio-frequency signal is finally output, the radio-frequency signals are down-converted to intermediate-frequency signals through the mixer, the intermediate-frequency signals select a transmit-receive path through the radio-frequency switch, and the intermediate-frequency signals are amplified and filtered on the path to obtain high-quality intermediate-frequency signals. According to the utility model, single intermediate frequency input can be realized, the number of channels of a traditional TR assembly and the number of local oscillator channels are reduced, the complexity of a circuit is reduced, the test complexity of the TR assembly is reduced, the integration level of the TR assembly is improved, the design difficulty and cost are reduced, and the miniaturization of equipment is further embodied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of frequency conversion TR components, and specifically relates to a radio frequency TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip. Background Technology

[0002] TR components are an important part of radar systems. Traditional multi-channel TR components are based on independent cavity shielding design for each channel. The inverter and local oscillator signal of a traditional TR channel are devices or local oscillator inputs with the same proportion as the number of channels. Therefore, the traditional TR inverter is designed separately for each channel, and the local oscillator signal is provided by an equal power divider after power amplification. This is a great duplication and waste in terms of circuit design and device cost, as disclosed in the patent "An Electronic Device" (application number: WO2016004628A1).

[0003] With the development of radio frequency chip technology in recent years, beamforming technology based on radio frequency front-end integration has become increasingly mature. As a beamforming technology for two-dimensional phased arrays, relying on the 4-in-1 radio frequency front-end of the integrated beamforming chip ARW97420, the design of the TR component of the two-dimensional array becomes easier to implement and saves costs. Given the current focus on low-altitude economic development, it is necessary to design a radio frequency TR component based on the beamforming chip ARW97420, which also enriches the application of TR component design in the field of security radar. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an RF TR frequency converter based on beamforming chips. In operation, the receiving link of this invention receives RF signals from eight antennas, which are then fed into two beamforming chips. These chips output two synthesized RF front-end signals, which are then combined to obtain a single RF signal. This RF signal is then mixed with the local oscillator signal by a frequency converter, and the mixed signal outputs an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. This IF signal is switched to the receiving channel by an RF switch and passes through an RF amplifier and filter to obtain a high-quality IF signal. This invention reduces the number of channels and local oscillator channels required by traditional TR components.

[0005] The technical solution of this utility model is: a radio frequency TR converter based on a beamforming chip, including a TR converter transmit link and a TR converter receive link, characterized in that: the TR converter transmit link includes a second intermediate frequency amplifier, a second filter, an RF switch, a mixer, a local oscillator, a controller, a combiner, a first beamforming chip, and a second beamforming chip; the second intermediate frequency amplifier is connected to the second filter, the output of the second intermediate frequency amplifier is connected to the RF switch, the RF switch is connected to the mixer, the mixer is connected to the local oscillator, the local oscillator is connected to the controller, and the mixer is connected to... The combiner is connected to the first beamforming chip and the second beamforming chip; the TR component receiving link includes the first beamforming chip, the second beamforming chip, the combiner, the mixer, the RF switch, the local oscillator, the controller, the first intermediate frequency amplifier, and the first filter; the outputs of the first beamforming chip and the second beamforming chip are combined with the combiner, the combiner is connected to the mixer, the mixer is connected to the local oscillator, the local oscillator is connected to the controller, the mixer is connected to the RF switch, the RF switch is connected to the first intermediate frequency amplifier, and the first intermediate frequency amplifier is connected to the first filter.

[0006] According to the above-described RF TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip, the characteristic is that the controller is a DSP chip, an ARM chip, or a microcontroller.

[0007] According to the above-described RF TR converter based on a beamforming chip, the intermediate frequency (IF) signal is characterized in that: when the TR converter transmits, the IF signal passes through a second filter and then through a second IF amplifier to obtain an IF signal with appropriate power. After the IF signal passes through an RF switch to select the transmission channel, it enters a mixer. The RF signal is mixed with the local oscillator signal input to the mixer to obtain an RF signal. The RF signal passes through a combiner to excite the first beamforming chip and the second beamforming chip respectively. Under the control of the beamforming timing sequence, the first beamforming chip and the second beamforming chip sequentially output RF excitation signals to the antenna.

[0008] According to the above-described RF TR converter based on a beamforming chip, the characteristic is that: when the TR converter receives, the signal received by the antenna passes through the first beamforming chip and the second beamforming chip. The two beamforming chips generate two combined RF signals, which are then combined again by a combiner to form one RF output. The RF output is input to the RF terminal of the mixer and down-converted with the local oscillator to obtain an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The IF signal is selected to the receiving channel by an RF switch, undergoes signal power matching by the first IF amplifier, and then passes through the first filter to remove spurious IF signals.

[0009] According to the above-described RF TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip, the first beamforming chip is an ARW97420 chip.

[0010] According to the above-described RF TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip, the second beamforming chip is an ARW97420 chip.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are: First, it enables single intermediate frequency input, reducing the number of channels in traditional TR components and local oscillator channels. Second, it reduces the complexity of circuit design and the testing complexity of TR components. Third, it improves the integration of TR components while reducing design difficulty and cost. Fourth, it enables device miniaturization. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 The logical design layout diagram for the TR component.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an example circuit for a TR component.

[0014] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. First beamforming chip; 2. Second beamforming chip; 3. Combiner; 4. Mixer; 5. RF switch; 6. First intermediate frequency amplifier; 7. First filter; 8. Second filter; 9. Second intermediate frequency amplifier; 10. Local oscillator; 11. Microcontroller (MCU). Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this utility model discloses a frequency conversion TR component for a security radar, including a TR component transmission link and a TR component receiving link. The TR component transmission link includes a second intermediate frequency amplifier 9, a second filter 8, an RF switch 5, a mixer 4, a local oscillator 10, a microcontroller MCU 11, a combiner 3, a first beamforming chip 1, and a second beamforming chip 2. The second intermediate frequency amplifier 9 is connected to the second filter 8, and its output is connected to the RF switch 5. The RF switch 5 is connected to the mixer 4, which is in turn connected to the local oscillator 10. The local oscillator 10 is in turn connected to the microcontroller MCU 11. The mixer 4 is connected to the combiner 3, and the combiner 3 is connected to the first beamforming chip 1 and the second beamforming chip 2.

[0017] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the TR component receiving link of this utility model includes a first beamforming chip 1, a second beamforming chip 2, a combiner 3, a mixer 4, an RF switch 5, a local oscillator 10, a microcontroller MCU 11, a first intermediate frequency amplifier 6, and a first filter 7. The outputs of the first beamforming chip 1 and the second beamforming chip 2 are combined with the combiner 3. The combiner 3 is connected to the mixer 4, which is in turn connected to the local oscillator 10. The local oscillator 10 is in turn connected to the microcontroller MCU 11. The mixer 4 is connected to the RF switch 5, which is connected to the first intermediate frequency amplifier 6. The first intermediate frequency amplifier 6 is connected to the first filter 7.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, when the TR component transmits, the intermediate frequency (IF) signal passes through the second filter 8 to filter out any harmonic spurious signals that may be generated by the first IF. Then, it passes through the second IF amplifier 9 to obtain an IF signal with appropriate power. The IF signal passes through the RF switch 5 to select the transmission channel and then enters the mixer 4. The RF signal is mixed with the local oscillator signal of the local oscillator 10 input to the mixer 4 to obtain the RF signal. The RF signal passes through the combiner 3 to excite the first beamforming chip 1 and the second beamforming chip 2 respectively. Under the control of the beam control timing, the first beamforming chip 1 and the second beamforming chip 2 sequentially output RF excitation signals to the antenna, thereby radiating energy into space to form a transmission beam. The beamforming chip integrates a power divider / combiner, RF switch, phase shifter, and RF amplifier, enabling the input excitation to perform spatial shaping according to the beam control design. Relying on the chip's integrated functions, the difficulty of channel design is greatly reduced, and the design of the external control logic is also simplified.

[0019] When the TR component receives, such as Figure 1 The signal received by the antenna shown passes through the first beamforming chip 1 and the second beamforming chip 2. Relying on the integration of low-noise amplifier, power divider and combiner, RF switch and other components in the beamforming chip, one beamforming chip outputs only one synthesized RF signal. The two beamforming chips have two synthesized RF signals, which are then combined again by the combiner 3 to output one RF signal. The RF output is input to the RF terminal of the mixer 4 and down-converted with the local oscillator 10 to obtain the intermediate frequency signal. The intermediate frequency signal is selected to the receiving channel by the RF switch 5, and then the signal power is matched by the first intermediate frequency amplifier 6. Finally, the intermediate frequency spurious signal is filtered out by the first filter 7.

[0020] The first beamforming chip 1 and the second beamforming chip 2 of this invention can be selected from ARW97420 chips. They can be used in X-band TR components with an intermediate frequency of 1000MHz, a local oscillator signal of 10.4GHz-10.5GHz, and an RF output of 9.4GHz-9.6GHz, with an output power generally between 25dBm and 28dBm. The 4-in-1 RF front-end of the ARW97420 chip makes the design of two-dimensional array TR components easier to implement and saves costs. Given the current focus on low-altitude economic development, designing an RF TR component based on the beamforming chip ARW97420 is essential and enriches the application of TR component design in the field of security radar.

[0021] The TR component's transmit and receive links in this invention share a time-division multiplexing configuration, comprising a first beamforming chip 1, a second beamforming chip 2, a combiner 3, a mixer 4, an RF switch 5, a local oscillator 10, and a microcontroller MCU 11. The microcontroller MCU 11 in this invention can be other control devices, such as a DSP chip or an ARM chip. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an example circuit for a TR component.

[0022] When the transmission link of this utility model is working, the transmission excitation signal is amplified by radio frequency and filtered by intermediate frequency to adapt the excitation signal to the link gain. When transmitting, the radio frequency switch is switched to the transmission channel. The excitation signal is mixed with the local oscillator by the frequency converter to obtain the radio frequency excitation signal. The radio frequency excitation signal is divided into two paths by the power divider and combiner and given to the beamforming chip. The beamforming chip outputs the excitation according to the beam control design to the antenna and radiates it into space.

[0023] While fulfilling the functions of traditional TR components, this invention utilizes the integrated beamforming chip's wave control system to achieve single intermediate frequency input, reducing the number of RF channels and local oscillator signal channels used in traditional TR components, as well as the number of acquisition channels in the back-end AD / DA converter. This reduces the design complexity of the digital processing section, while also lowering the debugging complexity of the TR component, improving its integration, and reducing costs.

[0024] This invention addresses current market demands for security radar detection with a coverage area of ​​2km. Traditional multi-channel phased array TR modules require an AD / DA acquisition channel count equal to the TR channel count. However, this invention only requires a single AD / DA acquisition channel, significantly reducing both design complexity and the required number of channels while still meeting detection requirements. The development of integrated beamforming chips has simplified TR module design, improving reliability. Therefore, this beamforming chip-based RF TR module for security radar was designed to meet specific needs. In the security radar field, multi-channel TR modules are widely used in pulse Doppler radar. This invention designs an 8-channel TR module based on two AWR97420 beamforming chips for security radar applications.

Claims

1. A radio frequency TR conversion component based on a beamforming chip, comprising a TR component transmit link and a TR component receive link, characterized in that: The TR component's transmit link includes a second intermediate frequency (IF) amplifier, a second filter, an RF switch, a mixer, a local oscillator, a controller, a combiner, a first beamforming chip, and a second beamforming chip. The second IF amplifier is connected to the second filter; its output is connected to the RF switch; the RF switch is connected to the mixer; the mixer is connected to the local oscillator; the local oscillator is connected to the controller; the mixer is connected to the combiner; and the combiner is connected to both the first and second beamforming chips. The TR component's receive link includes a first beamforming chip, a second beamforming chip, a combiner, a mixer, an RF switch, a local oscillator, a controller, a first IF amplifier, and a first filter. The outputs of the first and second beamforming chips are combined with the combiner; the combiner is connected to the mixer; the mixer is connected to the local oscillator; the local oscillator is connected to the controller; the mixer is connected to the RF switch; the RF switch is connected to the first IF amplifier; and the first IF amplifier is connected to the first filter.

2. The RF TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is a DSP chip, an ARM chip, or a microcontroller.

3. A radio frequency TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: When the TR component transmits, the intermediate frequency (IF) signal passes through the second filter and then through the second IF amplifier to obtain an IF signal with appropriate power. After the IF signal passes through the RF switch to select the transmission channel, it enters the mixer. The RF signal is mixed with the local oscillator signal input to the mixer to obtain the RF signal. The RF signal passes through a combiner to excite the first beamforming chip and the second beamforming chip respectively. Under the control of the beam control timing, the first beamforming chip and the second beamforming chip sequentially output RF excitation signals to the antenna.

4. A radio frequency TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: When the TR component receives signals, the signal received by the antenna passes through the first beamforming chip and the second beamforming chip. The two beamforming chips combine two radio frequency signals into one radio frequency output through a combiner. The radio frequency output is input to the RF terminal of the mixer and down-converted with the local oscillator to obtain the intermediate frequency signal. The intermediate frequency signal is selected to the receiving channel by the radio frequency switch, and then the signal power is matched by the first intermediate frequency amplifier. Finally, the intermediate frequency signal is filtered out by the first filter to remove spurious signals.

5. A radio frequency TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first beamforming chip is the ARW97420 chip.

6. A radio frequency TR frequency conversion component based on a beamforming chip according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second beamforming chip is the ARW97420 chip.

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