Antenna Measuring Equipment

Abstract

Multiple element antennas (111) to (11 M ), and a plurality of element antennas (111) to (11 M The antenna elements (111) to (11) in the transmitting device (1) are provided with an array antenna (10) in which excitation weights indicating the amplitude and phase of each of the antenna elements (111) to (11 M The antenna measurement device (2) estimates an element electric field of an array antenna (10), the antenna measurement device (2) comprising: a probe antenna (21) that receives a high-frequency signal radiated from the array antenna (10); a receiver (22) that detects the received signal received by the probe antenna (21) and outputs an array response, which is the detected received signal, in chronological order; and a signal processing device (100) that outputs the array response outputted in chronological order from the receiver (22) and a signal processing device (101) that outputs a signal processing device (102) for processing an array response of a plurality of element antennas (111) to (11 M A Kalman filter is used to input an excitation weight vector obtained by the excitation weight for each of the antenna elements (111) to (11 M ) and an element electric field estimator (23) for estimating the element electric field of each element.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an antenna measurement device for use in a transmitting or receiving system. [Background technology]

[0002] Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring signals (hereinafter referred to as element electric fields) received by each element antenna (hereinafter referred to simply as element) constituting a phased array antenna. Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for measuring signals transmitted from each element constituting a phased array antenna (hereinafter referred to as element electric field).

[0003] Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which the phase of each phase shifter connected to at least two elements constituting a phased array antenna is changed simultaneously, the change in the array composite signal (hereinafter referred to as array response) is measured, and the change in the array response is Fourier transformed to estimate the element electric field of each element. Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 2 discloses a technology in which a probe antenna is arranged in a phased array antenna, the array response is measured when beams are scanned in multiple directions, and the electric field of each element is estimated from the change in the array response and a steering matrix corresponding to the above beam scanning by using the least squares method or a pseudo-inverse matrix. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] GA Hampson and AB Smolder, “A Fast Accurate Scheme for Calibration of Active Phased-Array Antennas,” 1999 IEEE AP-S Int. Symp. Digest, pp.1040-1043, 1999. [Non-Patent Document 2] Z. Wang, F. Zhang, H. Gao, O. Franek, GF Pedersen, and W. Fan, “Over-the-Air Array Calibration of mmWave Phased Array in Beam-Steering Mode Based on Measured Complex Signals,” IEEE Trans AP, vol.69, no. 11, pp. 7876-7888, 2021. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology for measuring the element electric field shown in Non-Patent Document 1 changes the excitation phase of each element based on a specific sequence and measures the array response at that time in order to estimate the electric field of each element. Therefore, during the period in which a phased array antenna is incorporated in a wireless system such as wireless communication or radar and is operated, the change in the excitation phase of each element does not necessarily depend on a specific sequence, and therefore there is a problem in that it is not possible to estimate the electric field of each element. Furthermore, the technology for measuring the element electric field shown in Non-Patent Document 1 assumes that the electric field of each element remains constant except for changes in the excitation phase while the excitation phase of each element is changed based on a specific sequence. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is not possible to obtain a highly accurate estimate of the electric field of each element when the electric field of the element changes from moment to moment due to, for example, temperature changes or aging.

[0006] Moreover, the technique for measuring the element electric field shown in Non-Patent Document 2 performs beam scanning in multiple directions to estimate the electric field of each element, and measures the array response at that time. The technology for measuring the element electric field shown in Non-Patent Document 2 can estimate the electric field of each element even during the period when a phased array antenna is incorporated into a wireless communication system or a wireless system such as a radar and is in operation, because beam scanning is a commonly performed control. However, the technology for measuring the element electric field shown in Non-Patent Document 2 assumes that the electric field of each element remains constant while beam scanning is performed in multiple directions, except for changes in excitation phase associated with beam scanning. Therefore, when the element electric field changes from moment to moment due to, for example, temperature changes or aging, it is not possible to obtain a highly accurate estimate of the electric field of each element.

[0007] The present disclosure is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an antenna measurement device that can estimate the element electric field even when an array antenna is incorporated into a wireless system such as wireless communication or radar and is operated as a transmission system, and can obtain a highly accurate estimate of the element electric field even if the element electric field changes due to temperature changes or aging, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The antenna measurement device according to the present disclosure is an antenna measurement device that estimates element electric fields of element antennas in a transmitting device equipped with an array antenna having multiple element antennas, in which excitation weights indicating the amplitude and phase for each of the multiple element antennas are changed, and includes a probe antenna that receives high-frequency signals radiated by the array antenna, a receiver that detects the received signals received by the probe antenna and outputs an array response, which is the detected received signal, in chronological order, and an element electric field estimation unit that estimates the element electric field of each of the multiple element antennas using a Kalman filter that receives as input the array response output from the receiver in chronological order and an excitation weight vector obtained from the excitation weights for each of the multiple element antennas. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to estimate the element electric field even during the period when the system is being operated as a transmission system, and it is possible to obtain a highly accurate estimate of the element electric field even if the element electric field changes due to temperature changes or aging, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing a transmission system including an antenna measurement device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for sequentially estimating an element electric field in an element antenna using a Kalman filter in the antenna measurement device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing a transmission system including an antenna measurement device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a transmission system including an antenna measurement device according to a fifth embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a transmission system including an antenna measurement device according to an eighth embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a transmission system including an antenna measurement device according to a ninth embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 23 is a configuration diagram showing a transmission system equipped with an antenna measurement device according to a tenth embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 23 is a configuration diagram showing a transmission system equipped with an antenna measurement device according to an eleventh embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 26 is a configuration diagram showing a receiving system equipped with an antenna measurement device according to a twelfth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Embodiment 1 The antenna measurement device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transmission system including an antenna measurement device according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission system includes a transmission device 1 and an antenna measurement device 2. The transmission system is defined as a collection of components used to radiate high-frequency signals in a wireless system.

[0012] The transmitting device 1 has an array antenna 10 , a signal generator 14 , an excitation weight calculation circuit 15 , and an excitation weight control circuit 16 . The array antenna 10 includes a plurality of element antennas (hereinafter referred to as elements) 111 to 11 M and a plurality of excitation weight adjustment circuits 121 to 12 M and a power supply circuit 13. The array antenna 10 includes a plurality of elements 111 to 11 M A plurality of elements 111 to 11 M This is an array antenna in which the excitation weights indicating the amplitude and phase for each signal are changed. Multiple elements 111-11 M is a reciprocal element antenna that can be used for both transmission and reception.

[0013] The antenna measurement device 2 has a plurality of elements 111 to 11 M The electric field of each element is estimated, ie, measured. The element electric field referred to here is the electric field of the plurality of elements 111 to 11 M It refers to the high-frequency signal radiated from each, and is the amplitude and phase of the radiated high-frequency signal expressed as a complex number.

[0014] The antenna measurement device 2 has a probe antenna 21, a receiver 22, and an element electric field estimator 23 using a Kalman filter. The receiver 22 includes a plurality of elements 111 to 11 M The receiver is not limited to a dedicated receiver for estimating the electric field of each element, and a receiver of a receiving system used when receiving a high-frequency signal in a wireless system may be used. In the following description, elements 111-11 M and excitation weight adjustment circuit 121-12 M There is no need to explain each one individually, and common points will be explained without subscripts to avoid complicating the explanation.

[0015] Array antenna 10 is a commonly known array antenna such as a linear array antenna in which multiple elements 11 are arranged in a straight line, a planar array antenna in which multiple elements 11 are arranged in a planar matrix, or a circular array antenna in which multiple elements 11 are arranged in a planar matrix. The number of elements 11 will be described as M, where M is a natural number of 2 or more.

[0016] Each element 11 radiates into space a high-frequency signal whose amplitude and phase have been changed by a corresponding excitation weight adjustment circuit 12 . Each of the plurality of excitation weight adjustment circuits 12 is an adjustment means for adjusting the excitation weight given to each of the corresponding plurality of elements 11 . Each excitation weight adjustment circuit 12 is controlled based on the excitation weight from an excitation weight control circuit 16 . Each excitation weight adjustment circuit 12 may be configured in the form of either an analog circuit or a digital circuit, and a generally known excitation weight adjustment circuit is used.

[0017] The power supply circuit 13 is a power distribution circuit that is a power supply means for distributing the power of a high frequency signal from a signal generator 14 and supplying the high frequency signal from the signal generator 14 to each of the plurality of elements 11 . The power supply circuit 13 may be configured in the form of either an analog circuit or a digital circuit, and a generally known power distribution circuit is used.

[0018] The excitation weight calculation circuit 15 calculates the excitation weight to be given to each of the plurality of elements 11 . The excitation weight control circuit 16 controls the plurality of excitation weight adjustment circuits 12 based on the excitation weights calculated by the excitation weight calculation circuit 15 . The excitation weight control circuit 16 controls each excitation weight adjustment circuit 12 to change the excitation weight for each element 11 . In short, each excitation weight adjustment circuit 12 changes the amplitude and phase of the high frequency signal from the feed circuit 13 based on the excitation weight from the excitation weight control circuit 16 , and feeds the high frequency signal from the feed circuit 13 to each element 11 .

[0019] That is, a high-frequency signal transmitted from a signal generator 14 is power-distributed by a power feed circuit 13. The amplitude and phase of the power-distributed high-frequency signal are changed by each excitation weight adjustment circuit 12 controlled by an excitation weight from an excitation weight control circuit 16. The high-frequency signal whose amplitude and phase have been changed is radiated into space from each element 11 constituting the array antenna 10.

[0020] The probe antenna 21 is placed opposite the array antenna 10. In other words, the probe antenna 21 is placed at a position opposite the multiple elements 11, and is a receiving antenna that receives high-frequency signals radiated from the array antenna 10. The high frequency signal received by the probe antenna 21 is a composite signal obtained by combining in space the high frequency signals radiated from the multiple elements 11 . The receiver 22 sequentially detects the signal received by the probe antenna 21, that is, the array response which is the array composite signal.

[0021] The element electric field estimator 23 sequentially estimates the element electric field of each of the multiple elements 11 using a Kalman filter that receives as input the array response sequentially output from the receiver 22 and the excitation weight vector obtained from the excitation weight for each of the multiple elements 11 calculated by the excitation weight calculation circuit 15, and obtains an element electric field estimate value of each element 11.

[0022] Next, a method of obtaining an element electric field estimated value using a Kalman filter in the element electric field estimator 23 of the antenna measurement device 2 according to the first embodiment will be described. First, before explaining a method for obtaining an element electric field estimate using a Kalman filter, a state equation expressing a state space model of the element electric field of each element 11 and an observation equation for measuring the array response will be explained. Now, a case will be described in which a series of steps for sequential estimation is repeated K times in chronological order from index 1 to index K.

[0023] The index represents the number of times a series of procedures is performed in which the excitation weight of each element 11 is changed, the array response is measured, and the element electric field estimate value of each element 11 is sequentially estimated. That is, in a series of procedures for sequential estimation when the transmission system is incorporated in a wireless communication system or a wireless radar system and is in operation, the excitation weight calculation circuit 15 calculates the excitation weight of each element 11, changes the excitation weight for each element 11 based on the calculation result, and obtains an element electric field estimation value from the array response of the high-frequency signal received by the probe antenna 21 detected by the receiver 22, the number of times being K, and each time is indicated as an index.

[0024] In the following description, k (=1 to K) indicates index 1 to index K, indicates the number of steps for sequentially estimating the element electric field of each element 11, and corresponds to the kth step number. Below, the steps at index k (=1 to K) will be described. w T (k) is an excitation weight vector (complex vector) obtained by the excitation weights for each of the multiple elements 11 calculated by the excitation weight calculation circuit 15, y(k) is the array response (complex number), E m (k) is the element to be estimated. m is the element electric field (complex number).

[0025] Excitation weight vector w T (k) is element 11 m The excitation weight of w m If (k) is a complex number, it can be expressed by the following equation (1), where m ranges from 1 to M. w T (k) = [w1(k)w2(k) w M (k)] · · · (1)

[0026] Also, element 11 m The sequential change in the element electric field (complex number) is ΔEm (k), and the state vector x T (k) is defined by the following equation (2). x T (k) = [E1(k)E2(k)···E M (k)ΔE1(k)ΔE2(k) ΔE M (k)] ···(2) At this time, the error covariance matrix P(k) of (2M×2M) elements is also defined. The initial value of the error covariance matrix P(k) is set to, for example, a unit matrix.

[0027] Furthermore, each element 11 m The state equation representing the state space model of the element electric field can be expressed by the following equation (3). x(k+1)=Ax(k)+v k b (3) In the above formula (3), A is a matrix of (2M × 2M) elements and is represented by the following formula (4), b is a vector of 2M elements and is represented by the following formula (5), and v k is the system driving noise, a random variable with a Gaussian distribution and a standard deviation of σ v Let us assume that.

[0028] TIFF0007630755000001.tif17166 TIFF0007630755000002.tif17166

[0029] In the above formula (4), I M is an (M×M) identity matrix, 0 M,M is an (M × M) zero matrix, and in the above equation (5), 0 M,1 is a zero vector with M elements, 1 M,1 is a vector of M elements whose all elements are 1. According to the state space model given by the above equations (3), (4), and (5), the electric field E of the (k+1)th element is m (k+1) can be expressed by the following equation (6). E m (k+1)=E m (k) + ΔE m (k) ...(6)

[0030] In the above formula (6), ΔE m (k) is the amount of sequential change in the element electric field, and can be expressed by the following equation (7). ΔE m (k+1)=ΔE m (k)+v k (7) As can be seen from the above equation (7), the sequential change in the element electric field ΔE m (k) is a randomly varying model. It should be noted that the state space model given by the above equations (4) to (7) is merely an example, and other state space models expressing changes in the element electric field may be used.

[0031] In addition, the observed noise during the array response measurement is expressed as u k Then, the observation equation is obtained by the following equation (8), and the array response y(k) detected by the receiver 22 can be expressed by the following equation (8). y(k)=C T (k)x(k)+u k (8) In the above formula (8), C T (k) is the excitation weight vector w T It is a vector consisting of (k) and a zero vector, and can be expressed by the following equation (9). C T (k) = [w T (k)0 1,M ] ···(9)

[0032] Now that the state equation and observation equation have been defined as above, the procedure for sequentially estimating the element electric field of each of the multiple elements 11 using the Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimation unit 23 and obtaining an element electric field estimation value of each element 11 will be described with reference to Figure 2. In step ST1, the state vector x T (k) and the error covariance matrix P(k). Pre-measured element 11 m The initial value of the element electric field of (m is 1 to M) is E m (0), then the state vector x T (k) initial value xT (0) can be expressed by the following equation (10). The 0 in () indicates the initial value, and k=0.

[0033] x T (0) = [E1(0)E2(0)...E M (0)00···0]···(10) The above equation (10) is the initial value E of the element electric field in the above equation (2). m (0) and the sequential change in the element electric field ΔE m This is obtained by substituting (0) = 0. The initial value P(0) of the error covariance matrix P(k) is, for example, a unit matrix. Step ST1 is an initialization step.

[0034] In step ST2, the a priori state vector x(k) according to the state space model at index 1 is obtained by the following equation (11), and the a priori error covariance matrix P(k) is obtained by the following equation (12).

[0035] TIFF0007630755000003.tif10166 TIFF0007630755000004.tif11166

[0036] In the above formulas (11) and (12), the matrix A of (2M×2M) elements is a known matrix represented by the above formula (4), and in the above formula (12), A H is the Hermitian transpose of matrix A, 2M-element vector b is the known vector expressed by equation (5) above, b T is the transpose of vector b, and the standard deviation σ v is a known value. Step ST2 is a prediction step for obtaining a prior state vector x(k) and a prior error covariance matrix P(k) using a state space model.

[0037] In step ST3, based on the array response y(k), which is a measurement value detected by the receiver 22 from the received signal received by the probe antenna 21 at index 1, the a posteriori state vector x(k) is obtained by the following equation (13), and the a posteriori error covariance matrix P(k) is obtained by the following equation (14).

[0038] TIFF0007630755000005.tif12166 TIFF0007630755000006.tif12166

[0039] In the above equations (13) and (14), g(k) is the Kalman gain, which can be expressed by the following equation (15). TIFF0007630755000007.tif16166

[0040] That is, in step ST3, the Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimation unit 23 calculates an excitation weight vector w(k) obtained by the array response y(k) which is a measurement value detected by the receiver 22 and the excitation weights for each of the multiple elements 11 calculated by the excitation weight calculation circuit 15. T (k) and standard deviation σ v is input, and the state vector x(k) is obtained by the above equation (13). Step ST3 uses a Kalman filter to obtain the array response y(k) and the excitation weight vector w(k) detected by the receiver 22. T (k), to obtain the state vector x(k) and the error covariance matrix P(k).

[0041] The state vector x(k) obtained by the above equation (13) is the state vector x(k) obtained by the above equation (2). T As shown in (k), element 11 m The element electric field E m (k) and element 11 m The amount of change in the element electric field ΔE m It can be expressed as a complex vector with (k) as elements. Therefore, by obtaining the state vector x(k) through the procedure from step ST1 to step ST3, the element 11 can be obtained from the above formula (2). m The element electric field E m (k) (m=1 to M) can be estimated. In step ST4, the element electric field estimation unit 23 using a Kalman filter estimates the state vector x(k) of each element 11. m The element electric field E m (k) for each element 11 m This is an element electric field estimation step in which the element electric field estimation value is obtained.

[0042] In step ST5, it is determined whether k is less than K. If k is less than K, the process proceeds to step ST6, where k is set to k+1 and the process returns to step ST2. The series of steps from step ST2 to step ST6 are repeated until k becomes K. In step ST5, if k is K, the series of procedures ends.

[0043] As a result, the element electric field estimation unit 23 sequentially estimates the electric field of each element 11 K times, where the index k is from 1 to K. m The element electric field E m (k) is calculated and output, so each element 11 changes from moment to moment. m The element electric field E m (k) can be estimated sequentially. Therefore, even if the element electric field of the element 11 changes due to temperature changes or aging in the environment of the transmitter 1, a highly accurate estimated value of the element electric field can be obtained.

[0044] As described above, the antenna measurement device according to the first embodiment has a plurality of element antennas 111 to 11 M and a plurality of element antennas 111 to 11 M The element antennas 111 to 11 in the transmitting device 1 having the array antenna 10 in which the excitation weights indicating the amplitude and phase for each are changed MThe antenna measurement device 2 estimates an element electric field of an array antenna 10, and includes a probe antenna 21 that receives a high-frequency signal radiated by the array antenna 10, a receiver 22 that detects the received signal received by the probe antenna 21 and outputs an array response, which is the detected received signal, in chronological order, and a signal processing unit 210 that outputs the array response in chronological order from the receiver 22 and a signal processing unit 211 to 211. M A Kalman filter is used to input an excitation weight vector obtained by the excitation weight for each of the antenna elements 111 to 11. M Since the antenna element 111 includes an element electric field estimator 23 for estimating the electric field of each element, M The electric field of each element can be estimated sequentially.

[0045] As a result, the antenna elements 111 to 111 may deteriorate due to, for example, a temperature change or aging in the environment of the transmitting device 1. M Even if the element electric field changes, a highly accurate estimate of the element electric field can be obtained. Furthermore, even during the period when the transmitting device 1 is in operation, the element antennas 111 to 11 M It is possible to estimate the element electric field.

[0046] Embodiment 2 The antenna measurement device of embodiment 2 is characterized in that, whereas in the antenna measurement device of embodiment 1, the high-frequency signals radiated from each of the multiple elements 11 may be any beam, the high-frequency signals radiated from each element 11 are made into orthogonal beams by excitation weights provided by excitation weight adjustment circuit 12, and are otherwise the same.

[0047] A transmission system equipped with an antenna measurement device according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 1 in the first embodiment, and is characterized in the following respects as compared to the antenna measurement device according to the first embodiment. That is, in order to radiate a group of orthogonal beams from an array antenna 10 composed of a plurality of elements 11, the excitation weights of each element 11 provided by each of a plurality of excitation weight adjustment circuits 12 are sequentially switched by an excitation weight control circuit 16 to become excitation weights for forming orthogonal beams. On the other hand, based on the signals received by the probe antenna 21, the receiver 22 measures the array response corresponding to each of the orthogonal beams.

[0048] The antenna measurement device according to the second embodiment has the same effects as the antenna measurement device according to the first embodiment. In addition, since the excitation weights are used as excitation weights for multiple elements 11 to form orthogonal beams, there is no correlation between the measurement results of each array response, and therefore the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved.

[0049] Embodiment 3 The antenna measurement device according to the third embodiment is the antenna measurement device according to the first embodiment, except that element 11 m The initial value of the element electric field E m While the prior acquisition of (0) can be done by any method, element 11 m The initial value of the element electric field E m (0) is the element electric field E of each element 11 m The feature is that it is obtained by a method similar to that for estimating (k), and all other points are the same.

[0050] A transmission system equipped with an antenna measurement device according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 1 in the first embodiment, and is characterized in the following respects as compared to the antenna measurement device according to the first embodiment. In the antenna measurement device according to the third embodiment, the element 11 used in step ST1, which is an initialization step for the Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimation unit 23 described in the first embodiment, is m The initial value of the element electric field E m (0) is calculated as follows:

[0051] That is, the element electric field Em Before estimating (k), that is, in advance, the element electric field E m Similarly, the same procedure as steps ST2 to ST5 shown in FIG. 2 is repeated K times in chronological order from index 1 to index K to estimate element 11. m The initial value of the element electric field E m Request. In the period k is from 1 to K, the element 11 m It is assumed that the electric field of the element does not change.

[0052] Unknown elements 111 to 11 M The initial values ​​of the element electric field E1 to E M For the measured array responses y(1)~y(K) and the excitation weight vector w T (1)~w T The relationship with (K) can be expressed by the linear equation shown in the following equation (16).

[0053] TIFF0007630755000008.tif30166

[0054] The array response y(k) is the measured value, and the excitation weight vector w T (k) is element 11 according to the above formula (1). m Excitation weight w m (k), the linear equation (16) can be solved to obtain the elements 111 to 11 M The initial values ​​of the element electric field E1 to E M can be obtained.

[0055] In short, elements 111 to 11 M The initial values ​​of the element electric field E1 to E M Multiple elements 111 to 11 M During the period when the electric field of each element does not change, the array response output from the receiver 22 and the electric field of each element 111 to 11 M Excitation weight for w1(1)~w M (k) The excitation weight vector w obtained by T (1)~w T (K) is the value of the element electric field obtained. The linear equation (16) can be solved by a conventional method such as multiplying both sides of the equation (16) by an inverse matrix or a pseudo-inverse matrix, or by using the least squares method.

[0056] The antenna measurement device of embodiment 3 has the same effects as the antenna measurement device of embodiment 1. In addition, since the initial value is the value of the element electric field obtained from the array response output from receiver 22 and the excitation weight vector obtained from the excitation weights for each of the multiple elements 11, it has the effect of being able to obtain the initial value E of the element electric field of element 11 by a method similar to the method of estimating the element electric field of element 11 using the antenna measurement device.

[0057] In the antenna measurement apparatus according to the third embodiment, similarly to the antenna measurement apparatus according to the second embodiment, a group of orthogonal beams may be selected as the high-frequency signal radiated from each element 11.

[0058] Embodiment 4 The antenna measurement device according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The antenna measurement apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is different from the antenna measurement apparatus according to the first embodiment in that the excitation weights calculated by the excitation weight calculation circuit 15 are corrected, that is, calibrated, by using the element electric field estimation values ​​of each element 11 obtained in the antenna measurement apparatus according to the first embodiment. The other points are the same. In addition, in FIG. 3, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0059] The antenna measurement device 2 according to the fourth embodiment includes a plurality of elements 111 to 11 M Each element electric field is measured and estimated, and the estimated element electric field is used to calculate the amount of variation of the element electric field in the initial state of each element 11 with respect to the excitation weight initially set in the excitation weight calculation circuit 15, and a correction value based on the calculated amount of variation is output to the excitation weight calculation circuit 15. The excitation weight calculation circuit 15 calculates corrected excitation weights based on correction values ​​for the initially set excitation weights, calculates excitation weights to be given to each of the multiple elements 11 based on the calculated corrected excitation weights, and outputs the calculation results to the excitation weight control circuit 16.

[0060] The antenna measurement device 2 has a probe antenna 21, a receiver 22, an element electric field estimating section 23, and a correction value calculating section 24. The antenna measurement device 2 according to embodiment 4 differs from the antenna measurement device 2 according to embodiment 1 in that the antenna measurement device 2 according to embodiment 4 includes a correction value calculation unit 24, so the following description will mainly focus on the correction value calculation unit 24.

[0061] The correction value calculation unit 24 calculates the element electric field estimation value E of each element 11 estimated by the element electric field estimation unit 23. m (k) is compared with the initial element electric field of each element 11 for the excitation weight initially set in the excitation weight calculation circuit 15, and the amount of variation in the element electric field estimate value of each element 11 is calculated. The correction value calculation unit 24 outputs the calculated amount of variation to the excitation weight calculation circuit 15 as a correction value (correction weight) for returning the element electric field of each element 11 to the element electric field of the initial state.

[0062] The element electric field estimation value E of each element 11 estimated by the element electric field estimation unit 23 m (k) is the same as that obtained by the series of steps from step ST1 to step ST6 described with reference to FIG. The excitation weight calculation circuit 15 calculates a corrected excitation weight for the initially set excitation weight based on a correction value from the correction value calculation unit 24, and calculates an excitation weight to be given to each of the plurality of elements 11 based on the calculated corrected excitation weight.

[0063] The excitation weight calculated by the excitation weight calculation circuit 15 is output to the excitation weight control circuit 16, and the excitation weight control circuit 16 and each excitation weight adjustment circuit 12 operate in the same manner as described in the first embodiment. As a result, the high-frequency signal from the power supply circuit 13 is set to the amplitude and phase of the excitation current (voltage) based on the calibrated excitation weight, and is radiated into space from each element 11.

[0064] Therefore, the element electric field of each element 11 becomes the same as the element electric field in the initial state. That is, even if the element electric field of the element 11 changes due to temperature changes or aging in the environment of the transmitting device 1, the fluctuation of the element electric field of each element 11 can be corrected sequentially and the element electric field of each element 11 can be kept constant.

[0065] The excitation weights given to each element 11 may be excitation weights for forming orthogonal beams, as described in the second embodiment. In this way, the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved. In addition, the initial value E of the element electric field of each element 11 m may be obtained in advance by solving the linear equation (16) above using the antenna measurement device 2, as explained in the third embodiment.

[0066] The antenna measurement apparatus according to the fourth embodiment includes element antennas 111 to 11 M The electric field of each element can be estimated sequentially with high accuracy. Moreover, the electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas 111 to 111 estimated by the element electric field estimating unit 23 using a Kalman filter is M Each element electric field and a plurality of element antennas 111 to 11 M The correction value calculation unit 24 is provided to compare the element electric field in each initial state with the element electric field in the initial state, calculate the amount of variation with respect to the element electric field in the initial state, and obtain the amount of variation as a correction value for the excitation weight. M Even if the electric field of each element fluctuates, it is possible to sequentially maintain it constant.

[0067] Embodiment 5. The antenna measurement device according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The antenna measurement apparatus of embodiment 5 differs from embodiment 1 in that the antenna measurement apparatus of embodiment 1 is used for a transmitting apparatus 1 having an array antenna 10, whereas the antenna measurement apparatus of embodiment 5 is used for a transmitting apparatus 1 having a phased array antenna 110. The following description will focus on the differences from the antenna measurement device according to the first embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0068] The transmission system includes a transmission device 100 and an antenna measurement device 200, as shown in FIG. The transmission system is defined as a collection of components used to radiate high-frequency signals in a wireless system. The transmitting device 100 includes a phased array antenna 110 , a signal generator 14 , a beam scanning weight (steering vector) calculation circuit 150 , a phase shifter control circuit 160 , and a beam scanning direction command circuit 17 .

[0069] The phased array antenna 110 includes a plurality of element antennas (hereinafter referred to as elements) 111 to 11 M and a plurality of phase shifters 1201 to 120 M and a power supply circuit 13. Multiple elements 111-11 M is a reciprocal element antenna that can be used for both transmission and reception.

[0070] The phased array antenna 110 includes a plurality of elements 111 to 11 M It is a phased array antenna in which the beam scanning weights (steering vectors) for each beam are changed. The antenna measurement device 200 includes a probe antenna 210 , a receiver 220 , and an element electric field estimator 230 . The receiver 220 includes a plurality of elements 111 to 11 M The receiver is not limited to a dedicated receiver for estimating the electric field of each element, and a receiver of a receiving system used when receiving a high-frequency signal in a wireless system may be used.

[0071] Each element 11 is connected to a corresponding phase shifter 120 . Each of the multiple phase shifters 120 is an excitation phase adjustment means for adjusting the excitation phase to be provided to each of the multiple corresponding elements 11. Each phase shifter 120 is controlled based on the beam scanning weight from a phase shifter control circuit 160, and the passing phase indicating the excitation phase is controlled. Each phase shifter 120 may be configured in the form of either an analog circuit or a digital circuit, and a commonly known phase shifter is used.

[0072] The beam scanning direction command circuit 17 outputs direction instruction information for determining the beam scanning direction of the phased array antenna 110 . The beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150 calculates the beam scanning weight to be given to each of the plurality of elements 11 based on the direction instruction information from the beam scanning direction command circuit 17 .

[0073] The phase shifter control circuit 160 controls each phase shifter 120 based on the phase value indicated by the beam scanning weight calculated by the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150 to change the excitation phase of each element 11 . In other words, the phase shifter control circuit 160 controls the passing phase of each phase shifter 120 and changes the beam scanning weight for each element 11 . That is, the power of a high-frequency signal transmitted from a signal generator 14 is distributed by a power feed circuit 13. The power-distributed high-frequency signal is set to an excitation phase based on the beam scanning weight by each phase shifter 120, and is radiated into space from each element 11 constituting a phased array antenna 110.

[0074] The probe antenna 210, receiver 220, and element electric field estimation unit 230 using a Kalman filter in the antenna measurement device 200 basically have the same functions as the probe antenna 21, receiver 22, and element electric field estimation unit 23 using a Kalman filter in the antenna measurement device 20 in embodiment 1. However, since the fifth embodiment is applied to the phased array antenna 110, beam scanning weights are applied instead of excitation weights, and the excitation weight vector w T Instead of (k), the steering vector w T (k) is used.

[0075] TIFF0007630755000009.tif24166

[0076] In the above formula (17), r m Element 11 m Position vector of TIFF0007630755000010.tif10166 is the beam scanning direction vector, and k0 is the wave number. The steering vector w corresponding to the excitation weight vector shown in the above equation (17) is T Each element other than (k) 11 m The state equation expressing the state space model of the element electric field and the observation equation for measuring the array response are the same as those shown in the first embodiment.

[0077] The element electric field estimator 230 sequentially estimates the element electric field of each of the multiple elements 11 using a Kalman filter that receives as input the array response sequentially output from the receiver 220 and the steering vector obtained from the beam scanning weights for each of the multiple elements 11 calculated by the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150, and obtains an element electric field estimate value of each element 11.

[0078] Next, a procedure for sequentially estimating the element electric field of each of the plurality of elements 11 using the Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimating section 230 and obtaining an element electric field estimate value of each element 11 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In Figure 2, the excitation weight vector w T Instead of (k), we use the steering vector w TThe difference is that (k) is used, and the series of steps from step ST1 to step ST6 are substantially the same as the series of steps explained in the first embodiment.

[0079] That is, in step ST1, which is an initialization step, the element 11 measured in advance m (m is 1 to M) Initial value of element electric field E m (0) to obtain the state vector x T (k) and the error covariance matrix P(k). Step ST2, which is the prediction step, obtains the prior state vector x(k) and the prior error covariance matrix P(k) according to the state space model.

[0080] In step ST3, which is a filtering step, the array response y(k) and the steering vector w(k) detected by the receiver 22 are T (k), we obtain the posterior state vector x(k) and the posterior error covariance matrix P(k). In step ST4, which is an element electric field estimation step, the element electric field E of each element 11 is calculated based on the state vector x(k). m (k) is obtained as the element electric field estimate of each element 11.

[0081] A series of steps from step ST2 to step ST6 are repeated for k from 1 to K. As a result, the element electric field estimator 23 estimates the element electric field E m (k) can be estimated sequentially, and even if the element electric field of element 11 changes due to temperature changes or aging in the environment of transmitter 1, a highly accurate estimate of the element electric field can be obtained.

[0082] As described above, the antenna measurement device according to the fifth embodiment has a plurality of element antennas, and M The antenna elements 111 to 11 in the transmitting device 100 are provided with a phased array antenna 110 in which the beam scanning weights for each element are changed. MThe antenna measurement device 200 estimates the element electric field of a phased array antenna 110, and includes a probe antenna 210 that receives a high-frequency signal radiated by the phased array antenna 110, a receiver 220 that detects the received signal received by the probe antenna 210 and outputs an array response, which is the detected received signal, in chronological order, and a signal processing unit 216 that outputs the array response in chronological order from the receiver 220 and a signal processing unit 218 that outputs the signal processing unit 218 in chronological order. M A Kalman filter is used to input a steering vector obtained by the beam scanning weight for each of the antenna elements 111 to 11. M Since the antenna element 111 includes an element electric field estimator 230 for estimating the electric field of each element, M The electric field of each element can be estimated sequentially.

[0083] As a result, the antenna elements 111 to 111 may deteriorate due to, for example, a temperature change or aging in the environment of the transmitting device 100. M Even if the element electric field changes, a highly accurate estimate of the element electric field can be obtained. Furthermore, even during the period in which the transmitting device 100 is in operation, the element antennas 111 to 11 M It is possible to estimate the element electric field.

[0084] Embodiment 6 The antenna measurement device of embodiment 6 is characterized in that, whereas in the antenna measurement device of embodiment 5, the high-frequency signals radiated from each of the multiple elements 11 may be any beam, the high-frequency signals radiated from each element 11 are made into orthogonal beams by beam scanning weights provided by phase shifter 120, and the other points are the same.

[0085] A transmission system equipped with an antenna measurement device according to the sixth embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 4 in the fifth embodiment, and is characterized by the following points compared to the antenna measurement device according to the fifth embodiment. That is, in order to radiate a group of orthogonal beams from a phased array antenna 110 composed of a plurality of elements 11, the beam scanning weights of each element 11 provided by each of a plurality of phase shifters 120 are sequentially switched by a phase shifter control circuit 160 to become beam scanning weights for forming orthogonal beams. On the other hand, based on the signals received by the probe antenna 210, the receiver 220 measures the array response corresponding to each of the orthogonal beams.

[0086] The antenna measurement device according to embodiment 6 has the same effects as the antenna measurement device according to embodiment 5. In addition, since the beam scanning weights are set as beam scanning weights for multiple elements 11 to form orthogonal beams, there is no correlation between the measurement results of each array response, improving the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11.

[0087] Embodiment 7 The antenna measurement apparatus according to the seventh embodiment is the antenna measurement apparatus according to the fifth embodiment, except that element 11 m The initial value of the element electric field E m While the prior acquisition of (0) can be done by any method, element 11 m The initial value of the element electric field E m (0) is the element electric field E of each element 11 m The feature is that it is obtained by a method similar to that for estimating (k), and all other points are the same.

[0088] A transmission system equipped with an antenna measurement device according to the seventh embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. 4 in the fifth embodiment, and is characterized by the following points compared to the antenna measurement device according to the fifth embodiment. In the antenna measurement device according to the seventh embodiment, the element 11 used in step ST1, which is an initialization step for the Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimation unit 230 described in the fifth embodiment, is m The initial value of the element electric field E m (0) is calculated as follows:

[0089] That is, the element electric field E m Before estimating (k), that is, in advance, the element electric field E m Similarly, the same procedure as steps ST2 to ST5 shown in FIG. 2 is repeated K times in chronological order from index 1 to index K to estimate element 11. m The initial value of the element electric field E m Request. In the period k is 1 to K, the element 11 m It is assumed that the electric field of the element does not change.

[0090] Elements 111 to 11 M The initial values ​​of the element electric field E1 to E M Using the above equation (16), the array response y(k) output from the receiver 22 and the elements 111 to 11 M Beam scanning weights w1(1)~w M (k) Steering vector w T (1)~w T (K) is the value of the element electric field obtained.

[0091] The antenna measurement device of embodiment 7 has the same effects as the antenna measurement device of embodiment 5. In addition, since the initial value is the value of the element electric field obtained from the array response output from receiver 22 and the steering vector obtained from the beam scanning weight for each of the multiple elements 11, it has the effect of being able to obtain the initial value E of the element electric field of element 11 by a method similar to the method of estimating the element electric field of element 11 using the antenna measurement device.

[0092] In the antenna measurement apparatus according to the seventh embodiment, similarly to the antenna measurement apparatus according to the sixth embodiment, a group of orthogonal beams may be selected as the high-frequency signal radiated from each element 11.

[0093] Embodiment 8 The antenna measurement device according to the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The antenna measurement device of embodiment 8 is the same as embodiment 5 except that the antenna measurement device of embodiment 8 corrects, i.e., calibrates, the beam scanning weights calculated by the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150 using the element electric field estimates of each element 11 obtained in the antenna measurement device of embodiment 5. In FIG. 5, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0094] The antenna measurement device 2 according to the eighth embodiment includes a plurality of elements 111 to 11 M The electric field of each element is measured and estimated, and the estimated electric field of the element is used to calculate the phase variation of the electric field of each element 11 with respect to the beam scanning weight initially set in the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150, and a correction value based on the calculated phase variation is output to the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150. The beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150 calculates corrected beam scanning weights based on correction values ​​for the initially set beam scanning weights, calculates beam scanning weights to be applied to each of the multiple elements 11 based on the calculated corrected beam scanning weights, and outputs the calculation results to the phase shifter control circuit 160.

[0095] The antenna measurement device 200 comprises a probe antenna 210, a receiver 220, an element electric field estimating section 230 using a Kalman filter, and a correction value calculating section 240. The difference between antenna measurement apparatus 200 according to embodiment 8 and antenna measurement apparatus 200 according to embodiment 5 is that antenna measurement apparatus 200 according to embodiment 8 includes correction value calculation section 240, so the following description will mainly focus on correction value calculation section 240.

[0096] The correction value calculation unit 240 calculates the element electric field estimation value E m (k) is compared with the initial element electric field of each element 11 for the beam scanning weight initially set in the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150, and the phase variation of the element electric field estimate value for the initial element electric field of each element 11 is calculated. The correction value calculation section 240 outputs the calculated phase variation amount to the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150 as a correction value (phase variation amount) for returning the element electric field of each element 11 to the element electric field of the initial state.

[0097] The element electric field estimation value E of each element 11 estimated by the element electric field estimation unit 230 m As in the fifth embodiment, (k) is the same as that obtained by the series of steps from step ST1 to step ST6 described with reference to FIG. The beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150 calculates a corrected beam scanning weight for the initially set beam scanning weight based on the correction value from the correction value calculation unit 24, and calculates a beam scanning weight to be applied to each of the plurality of elements 11 based on the calculated corrected beam scanning weight.

[0098] The beam scanning weight calculated by the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 150 is output to the phase shifter control circuit 160, and the phase shifter control circuit 160 and each phase shifter 120 operate in the same manner as described in the fifth embodiment. As a result, the high frequency signal from the power supply circuit 13 is set to an excitation phase based on the calibrated beam scanning weight, and is radiated into space from each element 11.

[0099] Therefore, the element electric field of each element 11 becomes the same as the element electric field in the initial state. In other words, even if the element electric field of the element 11 changes due to temperature changes or aging in the environment of the transmitting device 100, the fluctuations in the element electric field of each element 11 can be corrected sequentially and the element electric field of each element 11 can be maintained constant.

[0100] The beam scanning weights given to each element 11 may be beam scanning weights for forming orthogonal beams, as described in embodiment 6. In this way, the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved. In addition, the initial value E of the element electric field of each element 11 mmay be obtained in advance by solving the linear equation (16) above using antenna measurement apparatus 200, as explained in the seventh embodiment.

[0101] The antenna measurement apparatus according to the eighth embodiment includes element antennas 111 to 11 M The electric field of each element can be estimated sequentially with high accuracy. Moreover, the electric field of each element antenna is estimated by the element electric field estimator 230 using a Kalman filter. M Each element electric field and a plurality of element antennas 111 to 11 M The correction value calculation unit 240 is provided to compare the element electric field in each initial state with the element electric field in each initial state, calculate the phase variation of the estimated element electric field with respect to the element electric field in the initial state, and obtain the phase variation as a correction value for the beam scanning weight. M It is possible to sequentially maintain the electric field of each element constant even if it fluctuates.

[0102] Embodiment 9 The antenna measurement device according to the ninth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The antenna measurement apparatus according to the ninth embodiment differs from the antenna measurement apparatus according to the eighth embodiment in that the array response to be input to the Kalman filter used in element electric field estimator 230 is a multiple of the array response output from receiver 220. M The difference is that the array response is a replica of the high frequency signal to be supplied to the receiver and has been subjected to correlation processing; otherwise, the array response is the same. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 5 denote the same or corresponding parts.

[0103] The antenna measurement device 200 comprises a probe antenna 210 , a receiver 220 , an element electric field estimator 230 using a Kalman filter, a correction value calculator 240 , and a matched filter 250 . The difference between antenna measurement apparatus 200 according to embodiment 9 and antenna measurement apparatus 200 according to embodiment 5 is that antenna measurement apparatus 200 according to embodiment 5 includes matched filter 250, so the following description will mainly focus on matched filter 250.

[0104] The matched filter 250 receives the array response y(k) from the receiver 220 and Multiple elements 111-11 M , that is, the replica of the high frequency signal from the signal generator 14 is input, and correlation processing is performed between the array response y(k) and the replica of the high frequency signal. The array response obtained by performing correlation processing by the matched filter 250 becomes an input to the Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimator 230 . As a result, it is possible to obtain a signal processing gain that maximizes the signal-to-noise power (S / N) ratio of the array response y(k) output from receiver 220, which serves as the input to the Kalman filter, thereby improving the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11.

[0105] The antenna measurement device according to the ninth embodiment has the same effects as the antenna measurement device according to the eighth embodiment, and in addition, the array response input to the Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimation unit 23 is compared with the array response output from the receiver 220 by the plurality of elements 111 to 11 M Since the array response is subjected to correlation processing with a replica of the high-frequency signal to be supplied to the antenna, the S / N ratio of the array response is improved, and further, the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved, and ultimately the calibration accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved.

[0106] The matched filter 250 in the antenna measurement apparatus according to the ninth embodiment may be applied to each of the antenna measurement apparatuses according to the first to seventh embodiments. That is, in the antenna measurement device according to each embodiment, the array response to be input to the Kalman filter constituting element electric field estimator 23 is the array response obtained by performing correlation processing on the array response output from receiver 220 by matched filter 250 using the replica of the high frequency signal from signal generator 14, thereby further improving the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 in each embodiment.

[0107] Embodiment 10 The antenna measurement device according to the tenth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The antenna measurement apparatus according to the tenth embodiment differs from the antenna measurement apparatus according to the eighth embodiment in that the probe antenna is configured with a plurality of probe antenna elements and a power combining circuit, but is otherwise the same. In FIG. 7, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0108] The probe antenna 210 in the antenna measurement apparatus 200 according to the tenth embodiment has a plurality of probe antenna elements 2101-2104 and a power combining circuit 260 that combines the power of the signals received by the plurality of probe antenna elements 2101-2104. The plurality of probe antenna elements 2101 to 2104 and the power combining circuit 260 constitute an array antenna. By using an array antenna as the probe antenna, the S / N ratio of the received signal input to the receiver 220 is improved, and as a result, the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved. Although four probe antenna elements 2101 to 2104 making up the array antenna are shown in FIG. 7, the number is not limited to four and any number may be used as long as it is plural.

[0109] The antenna measurement device of embodiment 10 has the same effects as the antenna measurement device of embodiment 8. In addition, since the probe antenna 210 is an array antenna, the S / N ratio of the received signal input to the receiver 220 is improved, and further, the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved.

[0110] The probe antenna having the array antenna configuration in the antenna measurement apparatus according to the tenth embodiment may be applied to each of the antenna measurement apparatuses according to the first to seventh embodiments and the ninth embodiment. That is, in the antenna measurement device according to each embodiment, by configuring the probe antenna 210 to have a plurality of probe antenna elements 2101-2104 and a power combining circuit 260 that power combines the received signals of the plurality of probe antenna elements 2101-2104, the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 in each embodiment is further improved.

[0111] Embodiment 11 An antenna measurement device according to the eleventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The antenna measurement apparatus according to the eleventh embodiment differs from the antenna measurement apparatus according to the tenth embodiment in that a plurality of probe antenna elements 2101 to 2104 constituting a probe antenna are replaced by a plurality of elements 111 to 111 constituting a phased array antenna 110. M The apertures are arranged on the same plane as the apertures of the elements 111 to 112, and the array response to be input to the Kalman filter used in the element electric field estimation unit 23 is different from the array response output from the receiver 220 in that the array response is different from the array response output from the receiver 220. M The difference is that the array response is a replica of the high frequency signal to be supplied to the receiver and has been subjected to correlation processing; otherwise, the array response is the same. In FIG. 8, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 7 designate the same or corresponding parts.

[0112] The antenna measurement device 200 comprises a probe antenna 210 , a receiver 220 , an element electric field estimator 230 using a Kalman filter, a correction value calculator 240 , and a matched filter 250 . The difference between the antenna measurement device 200 according to the tenth embodiment and the antenna measurement device 200 according to the eleventh embodiment is that the antenna measurement device 200 according to the eleventh embodiment has a plurality of elements 111 to 11 M The point is that the element 111 has the above arrangement and the matched filter 250. MThe arrangement and matched filter 250 will be mainly described.

[0113] The apertures of the multiple probe antenna elements 2101 to 2104 constituting the probe antenna are parallel to the apertures of the multiple elements 111 to 111 constituting the phased array antenna 110. M The multiple probe antenna elements 2101 to 2104 are arranged on the same plane as the aperture of the multiple elements 111 to 11 M Place it against. In this way, the plurality of probe antenna elements 2101 to 2104 are M By arranging them on the same plane, the overall size of the transmission system can be reduced.

[0114] Moreover, similarly to the antenna measurement device according to the ninth embodiment, matched filter 250 receives as input array response y(k) output from receiver 220 and a replica of the high-frequency signal from signal generator 14, and performs correlation processing between the array response y(k) and the replica of the high-frequency signal. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a signal processing gain that maximizes the S / N ratio of the array response y(k) output from receiver 220, which serves as the input to the Kalman filter, thereby improving the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11.

[0115] The antenna measurement device according to the eleventh embodiment has the same effects as the antenna measurement device according to the tenth embodiment. In addition, since the aperture of the probe antenna element 210 is on the same plane as the aperture of the element 11, the size of the entire transmission system can be reduced. Furthermore, the array response input to the Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimation unit 23 is compared with the array response output from the receiver 220 by the plurality of elements 111 to 111. M Since the array response is subjected to correlation processing with a replica of the high-frequency signal to be supplied to the antenna, the S / N ratio of the array response is improved, and further, the estimation accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved, and ultimately the calibration accuracy of the element electric field of each element 11 is improved.

[0116] The idea of ​​positioning the probe antenna with respect to element 11 so that the opening of the probe antenna in the antenna measurement device of embodiment 11 is on the same plane as the openings of multiple elements 11 may also be applied to each of the antenna measurement devices of embodiments 1 to 9. That is, in the antenna measurement device according to each embodiment, by arranging the aperture of the probe antenna on the same plane as the apertures of the multiple elements 11, the overall size of the transmission system can be reduced.

[0117] Embodiment 12 The antenna measurement device according to the twelfth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a receiving system including an antenna measurement device according to the twelfth embodiment. The receiving system includes a receiving device 3 and an antenna measurement device 4, as shown in FIG. The receiving system is defined as a collection of components used when receiving high frequency signals in a wireless system.

[0118] The receiving device 3 includes a phased array antenna 30 , a receiver 34 , a beam scanning weight (steering vector) calculation circuit 35 , a phase shifter control circuit 36 ​​, and a beam scanning direction command circuit 37 . The phased array antenna 30 includes a plurality of element antennas (hereinafter referred to as elements) 311 to 31 M and a plurality of phase shifters 321 to 32 M and a power combining circuit 33. A plurality of elements 311 to 31 M is a reciprocal element antenna that can be used for both receiving and transmitting.

[0119] The phased array antenna 30 includes a plurality of elements 311 to 31 M It is a phased array antenna in which the beam scanning weights (steering vectors) for each beam are changed. The antenna measurement device 4 has an element electric field estimation unit 43 using a Kalman filter and a correction value calculation unit 44 .

[0120] The antenna measurement apparatus according to the twelfth embodiment is an example applied to a receiving system in a wireless system, and includes the antenna measurement apparatus according to the eighth embodiment applied to a transmitting system in a wireless system and a plurality of element antennas 111 to 11 M The element antennas 111-11 receive high-frequency signals radiated from M or receives a high-frequency signal radiated from the probe antenna 41 and estimates the element electric field of the plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M The difference is how the element electric field is estimated, and the antenna measurement apparatus according to embodiment 12 is substantially the same as the antenna measurement apparatus according to embodiment 8 in terms of operation and function.

[0121] In FIG. 9, the probe antenna 41 and the signal generator 42 are shown for convenience, but the probe antenna 41 and the signal generator 42 shown in FIG. 9 are composed of a plurality of elements 311 to 31 M Although it may be an antenna and signal generator dedicated to estimating the electric field of each element, it is an antenna and signal generator used when emitting a high-frequency signal in another wireless system. To avoid complicating the explanation, hereinafter, the antenna in the other wireless system will also be described as a probe antenna 41. In the antenna measurement device according to the twelfth embodiment, a plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M The element electric field to be estimated for each of the plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M Each of these represents a received high-frequency signal, and is a complex number representing the amplitude and phase of the received high-frequency signal.

[0122] The receiving device 3 is the same as a commonly known receiving device, so it will be briefly described below. Each element 31 receives a high-frequency signal, and the received signal received by each element 31 is given a phase change corresponding to the beam scanning weight by the corresponding phase shifter 32, and is combined by the power combining circuit 33 and input to the receiver 34 as a high-frequency received signal.

[0123] The beam scanning direction command circuit 37 outputs direction instruction information for determining the beam scanning direction of the phased array antenna 30 . The beam scanning weight calculation circuit 35 calculates the beam scanning weight to be given to each of the plurality of elements 31 based on the direction instruction information from the beam scanning direction command circuit 37 . A phase shifter control circuit 36 ​​controls the passing phase of each phase shifter 32 to change the beam scanning weight for each element 31 .

[0124] Next, the estimation of the element electric field of each element 31 will be mainly described. Now, a case will be described in which a series of steps for sequential estimation is repeated K times in chronological order from index 1 to index K. During the processing period in which index k for estimating the element electric field is from 1 to K, the receiving system may be in operation, and if in operation, the operating wireless signal is simultaneously used as a received signal for estimating the element electric field.

[0125] The high frequency signal radiated from the probe antenna 41 is received by each element 31, and the received signal received by each element 31 is given a phase change corresponding to the beam scanning weight by the corresponding phase shifter 32, and then combined by the power combining circuit 33 and input to the receiver 34.

[0126] The element electric field estimator 43 sequentially estimates the element electric field of each of the multiple elements 31 using a Kalman filter that receives as input the array response sequentially output from the receiver 34 and the steering vector obtained from the beam scanning weights for each of the multiple elements 31 calculated by the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 35, and obtains an element electric field estimate value for each element 31.

[0127] The correction value calculation unit 44 calculates the element electric field estimation value E of each element 31 estimated by the element electric field estimation unit 43. m (k) is compared with the initial element electric field of each element 31 for the beam scanning weight initially set in the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 35, and the phase variation of the element electric field estimate value for the initial element electric field of each element 31 is calculated. The correction value calculation unit 44 outputs the calculated phase variation amount to the beam scanning weight calculation circuit 35 as a correction value (phase variation amount) for returning the element electric field of each element 31 to the element electric field of the initial state.

[0128] The element electric field estimation value E of each element 31 estimated by the element electric field estimation unit 43 m The electric field estimation value according to (k) is obtained by a series of steps from step ST1 to step ST6 described with reference to FIG. 2, which are performed in the same manner as in the eighth embodiment. The beam scanning weight calculation circuit 35 calculates a corrected beam scanning weight for the initially set beam scanning weight based on a correction value from a correction value calculation unit 44, and calculates a beam scanning weight to be applied to each of the multiple elements 31 based on the calculated corrected beam scanning weight.

[0129] In the antenna measurement device 4 according to the twelfth embodiment, the element electric field estimator 23 repeats the same series of steps as shown in steps ST2 to ST6 from k=1 to K, thereby estimating the element electric field E of each element 31 that changes from moment to moment. m (k) can be estimated sequentially, and even if the element electric field of element 31 changes due to temperature changes or aging in the environment of receiving device 3, a highly accurate estimate of the element electric field can be obtained.

[0130] The antenna measurement device according to the twelfth embodiment includes a plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M and a plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M In a receiving device having a phased array antenna 30, the beam scanning weights for each of the antenna elements 311 to 31 are changed. M The antenna measurement device estimates the element electric field of a plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M The array response output from the receiver 34 in chronological order and the plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 are coupled to the array response output from the receiver 34 in chronological order. MA Kalman filter is used to input a steering vector obtained by the beam scanning weight for each of the antenna elements 311 to 31. M An element electric field estimation unit 43 that estimates each element electric field, and a plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M Each element electric field and a plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M The correction value calculation unit 44 is provided to compare the element electric field in each initial state with the element electric field in each initial state, calculate the phase variation amount of the estimated element electric field with respect to the element electric field in the initial state, and obtain the phase variation amount as a correction value for the beam scanning weight. M The electric field of each element can be estimated sequentially, and further, the plurality of element antennas 311 to 31 M It is possible to sequentially maintain the electric field of each element constant even if it fluctuates.

[0131] The initial value E of the element electric field of each element 31 m may be obtained in advance by solving the linear equation (16) above using antenna measurement device 4, as explained in the seventh embodiment. Furthermore, the idea of ​​applying the antenna measurement device of embodiment 12 to a receiving system may also be applied to a receiving system for a transmitting system to which the antenna measurement device of embodiment 1 is applied, that is, a receiving device equipped with an array antenna having a plurality of element antennas, an excitation weight adjustment circuit, and a power combining circuit, a receiver, an excitation weight calculation circuit, and an excitation weight control circuit. Furthermore, the matched filter 250 described in the antenna measurement apparatus according to the ninth embodiment may be applied to the antenna measurement apparatus according to the twelfth embodiment.

[0132] It should be noted that the embodiments may be freely combined, or any of the components in each embodiment may be modified, or any of the components in each embodiment may be omitted. [Industrial Applicability]

[0133] The antenna measurement device according to the present disclosure is suitable for use as an antenna measurement device incorporated in a wireless system such as wireless communication or radar. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1, 100 transmitter, 10 array antenna, 111-11 M Motoko, 121-12 M Excitation weight adjustment circuit, 13 power supply circuit, 14 signal generator, 15 excitation weight calculation circuit, 16 excitation weight control circuit, 2, 200 antenna measurement device, 21, 210 probe antenna, 22, 220 receiver, 23, 230 element electric field estimation unit, 24, 240 correction value calculation unit, 110 phased array antenna, 1201 to 120 M Phase shifter, 150 beam scanning weight calculation circuit, 160 phase shifter control circuit, 17 beam scanning direction command circuit, 250 matched filter, 3 receiving device, 30 phased array antenna, 311 to 31 M Motoko, 321-12 M Phase shifter, 33 power combining circuit, 34 receiver, 35 beam scanning weight calculation circuit, 36 phase shifter control circuit, 37 beam scanning direction command circuit, 4 antenna measurement device, 41 probe antenna, 42 signal generator, 43 element electric field estimation unit.

Claims

1. An antenna measurement device for estimating an element electric field of an element antenna in a transmitting device having an array antenna having a plurality of element antennas, the array antenna having an excitation weight indicating an amplitude and a phase for each of the plurality of element antennas being changed, the antenna measurement device comprising: a probe antenna for receiving a high frequency signal radiated by the array antenna; a receiver that detects a signal received by the probe antenna and outputs an array response, which is the detected signal, in chronological order; an element electric field estimating unit that estimates an element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas by using a Kalman filter to which an excitation weight vector obtained by using an excitation weight for each of the plurality of element antennas is inputted and which is outputted in time series from the receiver; An antenna measurement device comprising:

2. 1. An antenna measurement device for estimating an element electric field of an element antenna in a transmitting device having a phased array antenna having a plurality of element antennas and a beam scanning weight for each of the plurality of element antennas being changed, comprising: a probe antenna for receiving a high frequency signal radiated by the phased array antenna; a receiver that detects a signal received by the probe antenna and outputs an array response, which is the detected signal, in chronological order; an element electric field estimating unit that estimates an element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas by using a Kalman filter to which a steering vector obtained by using a beam scanning weight for each of the plurality of element antennas is inputted and which is outputted in time series from the receiver; An antenna measurement device comprising:

3. 2. The antenna measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising a correction value calculation unit that compares an element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas estimated by the element electric field estimation unit with an element electric field in an initial state of each of the plurality of element antennas, calculates an amount of variation of the estimated element electric field with respect to the element electric field in the initial state, and obtains the amount of variation as a correction value of the excitation weight.

4. 3. The antenna measurement device according to claim 2, further comprising a correction value calculation unit that compares the element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas estimated by the element electric field estimation unit with an element electric field in an initial state of each of the plurality of element antennas, calculates a phase variation amount of the estimated element electric field with respect to the element electric field in the initial state, and obtains the phase variation amount as a correction value for the beam scanning weight.

5. 4. The antenna measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the excitation weights are used as excitation weights for forming orthogonal beams by the plurality of element antennas.

6. 5. The antenna measurement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the beam scanning weights are set to beam scanning weights for forming orthogonal beams by the plurality of element antennas.

7. 4. The antenna measurement device according to claim 1, wherein an initial value of an element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas for a Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimation unit is set to a value of an element electric field obtained by an excitation weight vector obtained by an array response output from the receiver and an excitation weight for each of the plurality of element antennas during a period in which the element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas does not change.

8. 5. The antenna measurement device according to claim 2, wherein an initial value of an element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas for a Kalman filter constituting the element electric field estimation unit is set to a value of the element electric field obtained by an array response output from the receiver and a steering vector obtained by a beam scanning weight for each of the plurality of element antennas during a period in which the element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas does not change.

9. 5. The antenna measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the array response input to the Kalman filter is an array response obtained by performing correlation processing on the array response output from a receiver and a replica of a high-frequency signal to be supplied to the element antennas.

10. 5. The antenna measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the probe antenna comprises a plurality of probe antenna elements and a power combining circuit that combines powers of signals received from the plurality of probe antenna elements.

11. 5. The antenna measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the probe antenna has an aperture disposed on the same plane as apertures of the plurality of element antennas.

12. An antenna measurement device for estimating an element electric field of an element antenna in a receiving device having an array antenna having a plurality of element antennas, the array antenna having an excitation weight indicating an amplitude and a phase for each of the plurality of element antennas being changed, the antenna measurement device comprising: an element electric field estimating unit that detects a received signal received by the array antenna, and outputs an array response, which is the detected received signal, in a time-series order from a receiver, and estimates an element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas using a Kalman filter that receives as input an array response output in a time-series order from the receiver and an excitation weight vector obtained by an excitation weight for each of the plurality of element antennas; An antenna measurement device comprising:

13. 1. An antenna measurement device for estimating an element electric field of an element antenna in a receiving device having a phased array antenna having a plurality of element antennas and a beam scanning weight for each of the plurality of element antennas being changed, comprising: an element electric field estimating unit that estimates an element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas by using a Kalman filter to which an array response output in time series from a receiver that detects a received signal received by the phased array antenna and outputs an array response, which is the detected received signal, in time series and a steering vector obtained by a beam scanning weight for each of the plurality of element antennas is input; An antenna measurement device comprising:

14. 13. The antenna measurement device according to claim 12, further comprising a correction value calculation unit that compares an element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas estimated by the element electric field estimation unit with an element electric field in an initial state of each of the plurality of element antennas, calculates a variation of the estimated element electric field with respect to the element electric field in the initial state, and obtains the variation as a correction value of the excitation weight.

15. 14. The antenna measurement device according to claim 13, further comprising a correction value calculation unit that compares the element electric field of each of the plurality of element antennas estimated by the element electric field estimation unit with an element electric field in an initial state of each of the plurality of element antennas, calculates a phase variation of the estimated element electric field with respect to the element electric field in the initial state, and obtains the phase variation as a correction value for the beam scanning weight.

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