Radar antenna measurement system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of radar measurement, and discloses a radar antenna measurement system, comprising: radar antenna subarrays, a beam controller, a combiner, a signal receiving channel, and a processor. Each radar antenna subarray is used to transmit an electromagnetic-wave detection signal to a target and to receive a first echo signal reflected from the target. The beam controller is used to perform phase variation processing on phases of a portion of the first echo signals to obtain processed echo signals. The radar antenna subarrays are further used to transmit, to the combiner, the processed echo signals and echo signals among the first echo signals that are not processed by the beam controller. The combiner is used to combine the received echo signals to obtain a second echo signal, and to transmit the second echo signal to the signal receiving channel. The signal receiving channel is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion processing on the second echo signal to obtain a first digital echo signal, and to transmit the first digital echo signal to the processor. The processor is used to measure and determine position information of the target on the basis of the first digital echo signal.

Description

Radar antenna measurement system

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2024118874174, filed on December 20, 2024, entitled "Radar Antenna Measurement System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of radar measurement technology, specifically to a radar antenna measurement system. Background Technology

[0003] To measure the target's position information (range, azimuth, and elevation), if multiple channels (azimuth difference channel, elevation difference channel, and elevation difference channel) are set up in the radar system to measure the target's position information, this method places high demands on the radar system's hardware and requires a lot of hardware resources because each channel requires corresponding network support. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, this application provides a radar antenna measurement system to solve the problem that existing radar systems require a lot of hardware resources.

[0005] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a radar antenna measurement system is provided. The system includes a radar antenna array composed of multiple radar antenna subarrays, a wave controller, a synthesizer, a signal receiving channel, and a processor. Each radar antenna subarray is used to transmit an electromagnetic wave detection signal to a target and receive a first echo signal reflected by the target. The wave controller is used to perform phase transformation processing on a portion of the first echo signal to obtain a processed echo signal. The radar antenna subarray is also used to transmit the processed echo signal and an echo signal from the first echo signal that has not been processed by the wave controller to the synthesizer. The synthesizer is used to receive the echo signal transmitted by the radar antenna subarray, perform synthesis processing on the received echo signal to obtain a second echo signal, and transmit the second echo signal to the signal receiving channel. The signal receiving channel is used to receive the second echo signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion processing on the second echo signal to obtain a first digital echo signal, and transmit the first digital echo signal to the processor. The processor is used to receive the first digital echo signal and measure and determine the position information of the target based on the first digital echo signal.

[0006] In one alternative embodiment, the system includes four radar antenna subarrays, and the four radar antenna subarrays form a 2×2 array.

[0007] In one alternative approach, the echo signals transmitted from the four radar antenna subarrays to the synthesizer are A, B, C, and D, respectively, and all are positive-phase echo signals; the processor is used to measure and determine the target's range and velocity information based on the first digital echo signal (A+B+C+D).

[0008] In one alternative embodiment, the echo signals transmitted to the synthesizer by the four radar antenna subarrays are A, B, -C, and -D, respectively, where A and B are both positive-phase echo signals, and -C and -D are both negative-phase echo signals; the radar antenna subarray transmitting echo signals A and B is located in the first row of the 2×2 array, and the radar antenna subarray transmitting echo signals A and -C is located in the first column of the 2×2 array; the processor is used to measure and determine the elevation angle of the target based on the first digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)).

[0009] In one alternative embodiment, the echo signals transmitted to the synthesizer by the four radar antenna subarrays are A, -B, C, and -D, respectively, where A and C are positive-phase echo signals, and -B and -D are negative-phase echo signals; the radar antenna subarrays transmitting echo signals A and -B are located in the first row of the 2×2 array, and the radar antenna subarrays transmitting echo signals A and C are located in the first column of the 2×2 array; the processor is used to measure and determine the azimuth angle of the target based on the first digital echo signal (A+C-(B+D)).

[0010] In an alternative embodiment, the processor is further configured to store the first digital echo signal; the wave controller is further configured to control the first radar antenna in the radar antenna array to be in a closed state, and the other radar antennas in the radar antenna array, excluding the first radar antenna, are configured to receive the first electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the first electromagnetic wave signal to the signal receiving channel through the synthesizer; the signal receiving channel is configured to receive the first electromagnetic wave signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion processing on the first electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a first digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmit the first digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor; the processor is configured to receive the first digital electromagnetic wave signal and perform sidelobe masking processing on the first digital echo signal based on the first digital electromagnetic wave signal.

[0011] In one alternative embodiment, the synthesizer includes a first synthesizer and a second synthesizer, and the signal receiving channel includes a first receiving channel and a second receiving channel; the four radar antenna subarrays are respectively a first radar antenna subarray, a second radar antenna subarray, a third radar antenna subarray, and a fourth radar antenna subarray, with the first and second radar antenna subarrays located in the first row and the third radar antenna subarray located in the first column of the 2×2 array; the first echo signal includes a first sub-echo signal and a second sub-echo signal, the first sub-echo signal being the first radar antenna... The first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray receive echo signals, wherein the second sub-echo signal is the echo signal received by the third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray; the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray are used to transmit the echo signal processed by the wave controller and the echo signal not processed by the wave controller from the first sub-echo signal to the first combiner; the third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray are used to transmit the echo signal processed by the wave controller and the echo signal not processed by the wave controller from the second sub-echo signal to the first combiner. The echo signal processed by the wave controller is transmitted to the second combiner; the first combiner is used to receive the echo signals transmitted by the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray, perform synthesis processing on the received echo signals to obtain a third echo signal, and transmit the third echo signal to the first receiving channel; the second combiner is used to receive the echo signals transmitted by the third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray, perform synthesis processing on the received echo signals to obtain a fourth echo signal, and transmit the fourth echo signal to the second receiving channel; the first receiving channel is used to receive the third echo signal, and perform synthesis processing on the third echo signal to obtain a third echo signal. The third echo signal undergoes analog-to-digital conversion to obtain a second digital echo signal, which is then transmitted to the processor. The second receiving channel receives the fourth echo signal, performs analog-to-digital conversion on it to obtain a third digital echo signal, and transmits the third digital echo signal to the processor. The processor receives the second digital echo signal and the third digital echo signal, synthesizes them to obtain a fourth digital echo signal, and measures and determines the target's position information based on the fourth digital echo signal.

[0012] In one optional embodiment, the echo signal transmitted from the first radar antenna subarray to the first synthesizer is A; the echo signal transmitted from the second radar antenna subarray to the first synthesizer includes B and -B, wherein the echo signal -B is the signal obtained after the wave controller performs phase change processing on the echo signal B; the echo signal transmitted from the third radar antenna subarray to the second synthesizer is C; the echo signal transmitted from the fourth radar antenna subarray to the second synthesizer includes D and -D, wherein the echo signal -D is the signal obtained after the wave controller performs phase change processing on the echo signal D; in the third echo signal... When the third echo signal is (A+B) and the fourth echo signal is (C+D), the processor is used to measure and determine the distance and velocity information of the target based on the first fourth digital echo signal (A+B+C+D), synthesize a fifth echo signal -(C+D) based on the fourth echo signal C+D, and measure and determine the pitch angle of the target based on the second fourth digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)); when the third echo signal is AB and the fourth echo signal is CD, the processor is used to measure and determine the azimuth angle of the target based on the third fourth digital echo signal (A+C-(B+D)).

[0013] In one optional embodiment, the echo signals transmitted from the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray to the first synthesizer are A and B, respectively; the echo signal transmitted from the third radar antenna subarray to the second synthesizer is C; the echo signal transmitted from the fourth radar antenna subarray to the second synthesizer includes D and -D, wherein the echo signal -D is the signal obtained after the wave controller performs phase transformation processing on the echo signal D; when the third echo signal is (A+B) and the fourth echo signal is (C+D), the processor is used to measure based on the first fourth digital echo signal (A+B+C+D). The processor measures and determines the distance and velocity information of the target, synthesizes a fifth echo signal (-(C+D)) based on the fourth echo signal (C+D), and measures and determines the pitch angle of the target based on the second type of fourth digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)). When the third echo signal is (A+B) and the fourth echo signal is (CD), the processor is further configured to fit an echo signal (A'-B') based on the phase difference between the echo signal (A+B) and the echo signal (CD), and measure and determine the azimuth angle of the target based on the third type of fourth digital echo signal (A+B) and (A'-B').

[0014] In one alternative embodiment, the wave controller is used to control the second radar antenna in the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray to be in a closed state; the other radar antennas in the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray, excluding the second radar antenna, are used to receive the second electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the second electromagnetic wave signal to the first receiving channel through the first synthesizer; the first receiving channel is used to receive the second electromagnetic wave signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion on the second electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a second digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmit the second digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor; the processor is used to receive the second digital electromagnetic wave signal and perform sidelobe masking on the fourth digital echo signal based on the second digital electromagnetic wave signal. Alternatively, the wave controller is used to control the third radar antenna in the third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray to be in a closed state; the other radar antennas in the third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray, excluding the third radar antenna, are used to receive the third electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the third electromagnetic wave signal to the second receiving channel through the second synthesizer; the second receiving channel is used to receive the third electromagnetic wave signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion processing on the third electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a third digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmit the third digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor; the processor is used to receive the third digital electromagnetic wave signal and perform sidelobe masking processing on the fourth digital echo signal according to the third digital electromagnetic wave signal.

[0015] In this embodiment, since the radar antenna measurement system only needs to set up one synthesizer and one signal receiving channel to measure and determine the target's distance information, velocity information, elevation angle and azimuth angle respectively, compared with setting up multiple synthesizers and multiple channels, the hardware resources of the radar antenna measurement system can be saved and the size of the radar antenna measurement system can be reduced.

[0016] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of the embodiments of this application and to implement them in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of this application more obvious and understandable, specific implementation methods of this application are described below. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the radar antenna measurement system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 2 shows waveforms of the main antenna and auxiliary antenna provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a radar antenna measurement system provided in another embodiment of this application.

[0021] The reference numerals in the detailed embodiments are as follows: 1. Radar antenna measurement system; 10. Radar antenna array; 11. First radar antenna subarray; 12. Second radar antenna subarray; 13. Third radar antenna subarray; 14. Fourth radar antenna subarray; 20. Wave controller; 30. Combiner; 31. First combiner; 32. Second combiner; 40. Signal receiving channel; 41. First receiving channel; 42. Second receiving channel; 50. Processor; 101. Main antenna waveform diagram; 102. Auxiliary antenna waveform diagram. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application; the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims, and foregoing description of the drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0024] In the description of the embodiments of this application, technical terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly defined.

[0025] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0026] In the description of the embodiments in this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, representing any combination of the listed objects. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three possibilities: A exists, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0027] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "multiple" refers to two or more (including two), similarly, "multiple sets" refers to two or more (including two sets), and "multiple pieces" refers to two or more (including two pieces).

[0028] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the technical terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application.

[0029] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, technical terms such as "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0030] If a radar system is equipped with an azimuth difference channel, an azimuth difference channel, and an elevation difference channel to measure the target's range, azimuth, and elevation angles respectively, this method places high demands on the radar system's hardware and requires a significant amount of hardware resources, as each channel requires corresponding network support.

[0031] To address the aforementioned problems, this application proposes a radar antenna measurement system, including a wave controller, a synthesizer, a signal receiving channel, a processor, and multiple radar antenna subarrays. The radar antenna subarrays transmit electromagnetic wave detection signals to the target and receive the echo signals reflected from the target. The wave controller performs phase transformation processing on a portion of the echo signals. The radar antenna subarrays transmit both the echo signals processed by the wave controller and the echo signals without wave controller processing to the synthesizer. After receiving the echo signals transmitted by the radar antenna subarrays, the synthesizer performs synthesis processing on the received echo signals. The synthesized signal can be used to measure and determine the target's range, elevation angle, and azimuth angle. The synthesizer transmits the synthesized signal to the signal receiving channel. The signal receiving channel performs analog-to-digital conversion processing on the synthesized signal to obtain a digital signal, and transmits the digital signal to the processor. The processor measures and determines the target's range, elevation angle, and azimuth angle based on the digital signal. For the three types of information that need to be measured—range, elevation, and azimuth—there is no need to set up three synthesizers and three signal receiving channels, thus saving hardware resources of the radar system.

[0032] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a radar antenna measurement system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the radar antenna measurement system 1 includes a radar antenna array 10, a wave controller 20, a synthesizer 30, a signal receiving channel 40, and a processor 50. The radar antenna array 10 includes a first radar antenna subarray 11, a second radar antenna subarray 12, a third radar antenna subarray 13, and a fourth radar antenna subarray 14. Each radar antenna subarray includes one or more radar antennas that transmit electromagnetic wave detection signals to the target and receive the first echo signal reflected by the target. In the figure, the four radar antenna subarrays form a 2×2 array, with the first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 located in the first row of the 2×2 array, and the third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 located in the first column of the 2×2 array. To facilitate the differentiation of the first echo signals reflected from the target received by different radar antenna subarrays, the figure illustrates the following examples: the echo signal A received by the first radar antenna subarray 11, the echo signal B received by the second radar antenna subarray 12, the echo signal C received by the third radar antenna subarray 13, and the echo signal D received by the fourth radar antenna subarray 14. The echo signals reflected from the target received by the four radar antenna subarrays constitute the first echo signal. It is worth noting that Figure 1 only illustrates an example of radar antenna array 10 comprising four radar antenna subarrays; this application does not limit the number of radar antenna subarrays.

[0033] In this embodiment, after the radar antenna array 10 transmits an electromagnetic wave detection signal to the target, the first radar antenna subarray 11 transmits the received echo signal A from the target to the combiner 30, the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmits the received echo signal B from the target to the combiner 30, the third radar antenna subarray 13 transmits the received echo signal C from the target to the combiner 30, and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmits the received echo signal D from the target to the combiner 30. The combiner 30 performs in-phase synthesis processing on the received echo signals A, B, C, and D to obtain the synthesized echo signal (A+B+C+D), and transmits this signal (A+B+C+D) to the signal receiving channel 40. The echo signal (A+B+C+D) corresponds to the channel signal. The signal receiving channel 40 receives the echo signal (A+B+C+D). Since the first echo signal transmitted by the target received by the radar antenna array 10 is an analog signal, the signal receiving channel 40 also performs analog-to-digital conversion on the received analog echo signal (A+B+C+D) to obtain a digital echo signal (A+B+C+D), and transmits the digital echo signal (A+B+C+D) to the processor. The processor 50, based on the digital echo signal (A+B+C+D), measures and determines the target's range information by measuring the target's echo delay, and measures and determines the target's velocity information by measuring the target's Doppler frequency.

[0034] To measure and determine the target's elevation angle, in this embodiment, after the radar antenna array 10 transmits an electromagnetic wave detection signal to the target, the wave controller 20 performs phase change processing on the echo signal C reflected from the target received by the third radar antenna subarray 13 to obtain a negative-phase signal -C, and performs phase change processing on the echo signal D reflected from the target received by the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 to obtain a negative-phase signal -D. The first radar antenna subarray 11 transmits the echo signal A to the synthesizer 30, the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmits the echo signal B to the synthesizer 30, the third radar antenna subarray 13 transmits the echo signal -C processed by the wave controller to the synthesizer 30, and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmits the echo signal -D processed by the wave controller to the synthesizer 30. The synthesizer 30 synthesizes the received echo signals A, B, -C, and -D to obtain a simulated echo signal (A+B-(C+D)), and transmits this simulated echo signal (A+B-(C+D)) to the signal receiving channel 40. The signal receiving channel 40 performs analog-to-digital conversion on the received analog echo signal (A+B-(C+D)) to obtain a digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)), and transmits the digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)) to the processor 50. The processor 50 measures and determines the target's elevation angle based on the digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)) using a sum-difference ratio, amplitude ratio, and phase angle measurement method.

[0035] To measure and determine the azimuth of the target, in this embodiment, after the radar antenna array 10 transmits an electromagnetic wave detection signal to the target, the wave controller 20 performs phase change processing on the echo signal B reflected by the target received by the second radar antenna subarray 12 to obtain a negative-phase signal -B, and performs phase change processing on the echo signal D reflected by the target received by the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 to obtain a negative-phase signal -D. The first radar antenna subarray 11 transmits the echo signal A to the combiner 30, the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmits the echo signal -B processed by the wave controller to the combiner 30, the third radar antenna subarray 13 transmits the echo signal C to the combiner 30, and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmits the echo signal -D processed by the wave controller to the combiner 30. Synthesizer 30 synthesizes the received signals A, -B, C, and -D to obtain an analog signal ((A+C-(B+D)) and transmits this analog signal (A+C-(B+D)) to signal receiving channel 40. Signal receiving channel 40 performs analog-to-digital conversion on the received analog signal (A+C-(B+D)) to obtain a digital signal (A+C-(B+D)) and transmits this digital signal (A+C-(B+D)) to processor 50. Processor 50 measures and determines the azimuth angle of the target based on the digital signal ((A+C-(B+D)) using a sum-difference ratio, amplitude ratio, and phase angle measurement method.

[0036] In this embodiment, since the radar antenna measurement system 1 only needs to have one synthesizer and one signal receiving channel to measure and determine the target's distance information, velocity information, elevation angle and azimuth angle respectively, compared with setting multiple synthesizers and multiple channels, the hardware resources of the radar antenna measurement system 1 can be saved and the size of the radar antenna measurement system 1 can be reduced.

[0037] It is worth noting that when measuring a target using radar antenna measurement system 1, since the target's range, elevation angle, and azimuth angle are determined independently, the order in which these three pieces of information are measured can be determined as needed. For example, radar antenna measurement system 1 can be used to determine the elevation angle first, then the azimuth angle, and finally the range information; or radar antenna measurement system 1 can be used to determine the azimuth angle first, then the elevation angle, and finally the range information, etc.

[0038] To improve the accuracy of the determined target's position information, in some embodiments, when the radar antenna array 10 measures and determines the target's position and velocity information, the processor 50 also stores digital echo signals (A+B+C+D). The wave controller 20 also controls the first radar antenna in the radar antenna array 10 to be in a closed state. The first radar antenna is one or more radar antennas in the radar antenna array 10, and can be an antenna in a first radar antenna subarray 11, a second radar antenna subarray 12, a third radar antenna subarray 13, and / or a fourth radar antenna subarray 14. The first radar antenna can be configured as needed and is not limited here. In this embodiment, preferably, the first radar antenna is any radar antenna other than the one located at or near the center of the radar antenna array 10. The wave controller 20 also controls the other radar antennas in the radar antenna array 10 (excluding the first radar antenna) to receive the first electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the first electromagnetic wave signal to the signal receiving channel 40 through the synthesizer 30. The first electromagnetic wave signal is the electromagnetic wave signal reflected by the interference object received by the radar antenna array 10 when other radar antennas (excluding the first radar antenna) do not transmit electromagnetic wave detection signals to the target.

[0039] The signal receiving channel 40 receives a first electromagnetic wave signal, performs analog-to-digital conversion on the first electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a first digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmits the first digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor 50. The processor 50 receives the first digital electromagnetic wave signal and performs sidelobe masking processing on the digital echo signal (A+B+C+D) based on the first digital electromagnetic wave signal.

[0040] To better understand the sidelobe concealment technique, Figure 2 shows the waveforms of the main antenna and auxiliary antenna provided in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, after the radar antenna array 10 transmits an electromagnetic wave detection signal to the target, the waveform of the echo signal received from the target is the main antenna waveform 101. According to the main antenna waveform 101, the target may correspond to points A, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, or D2. The first electromagnetic wave signal received by the radar antenna array 10 with the first radar antenna in the off state is the auxiliary antenna waveform 102. Combining the auxiliary antenna waveform 102, since the gains corresponding to points B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, and D2 are all less than the gains of each point in the auxiliary antenna waveform 102, the target corresponding to point A can be determined.

[0041] Since the digital echo signal (A+B+C+D) contains a main lobe and side lobes, in this embodiment of the application, by performing side lobe masking processing on the digital echo signal (A+B+C+D) based on the first digital electromagnetic wave signal, the accuracy of determining the target's position information based on the digital echo signal (A+B+C+D) can be improved, thereby enhancing the anti-interference capability and target detection capability of the radar antenna measurement system 1.

[0042] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a radar antenna measurement system according to another embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the radar antenna measurement system 1 includes a radar antenna array 10, a wave controller 20, a first combiner 31, a second combiner 32, a first receiving channel 41, a second receiving channel 42, and a processor 50. The structure of the radar antenna array 10 is similar to that of the radar antenna array 10 in the embodiment provided in Figure 1. The main difference is that the embodiment shown in Figure 3 includes two combiners and two receiving channels. The first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmit their received echo signals to the first combiner 31, and the third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmit their received echo signals to the second combiner 32.

[0043] In this embodiment, after the radar antenna array 10 transmits an electromagnetic wave detection signal to the target, the first echo signal reflected by the target received by the radar antenna array 10 includes a first sub-echo signal and a second sub-echo signal. The first sub-echo signal includes the echo signals reflected by the target received by the first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12, and the second sub-echo signal includes the echo signals reflected by the target received by the third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14.

[0044] The first radar antenna subarray 11 transmits echo signal A to the first synthesizer 31, and the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmits echo signal B to the first synthesizer 31. The first synthesizer 31 combines the received echo signals A and B to obtain an echo signal (A+B), and transmits the echo signal (A+B) to the first receiving channel 41. The first receiving channel 41 receives the echo signal (A+B), performs analog-to-digital conversion on it to obtain a digital echo signal (A+B), and transmits it to the processor 50.

[0045] The third radar antenna subarray 13 transmits the echo signal C to the second synthesizer 32, and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmits the echo signal D to the second synthesizer 32. The second synthesizer 32 combines the received echo signals C and D to obtain the echo signal (C+D), and transmits the echo signal (C+D) to the second receiving channel 42. The second receiving channel 42 receives the echo signal (C+D), performs analog-to-digital conversion on it to obtain the digital echo signal (C+D), and transmits it to the processor 50.

[0046] The processor 50 receives digital echo signals (A+B) and (C+D) and synthesizes them into a digital echo signal (A+B+C+D), and then determines the target's distance and speed information based on the digital echo signal (A+B+C+D).

[0047] The processor 50 also performs phase transformation processing on the digital echo signal (C+D) to obtain the digital echo signal -(C+D), and synthesizes the digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)) and the digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)) into a digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)). Then, based on the digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)), the pitch angle of the target is measured and determined by the sum-difference ratio amplitude ratio phase angle measurement method.

[0048] After the radar antenna array 10 transmits an electromagnetic wave detection signal to the target, the wave controller 20 performs phase change processing on the echo signals B and D received by the second radar antenna subarray 12 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 respectively to obtain echo signals -B and -D.

[0049] The first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmit echo signals A and -B to the first receiving channel 41 via the first synthesizer 31, respectively. The first receiving channel 41 receives echo signals A and -B, performs analog-to-digital conversion on them to obtain digital echo signals A and -B, and transmits the digital echo signals A and -B to the processor 50. The third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmit echo signals C and -D to the second receiving channel 42 via the second synthesizer 32, respectively. The second receiving channel 42 receives echo signals C and -D, performs analog-to-digital conversion on them to obtain digital echo signals C and -D, and transmits the digital echo signals C and -D to the processor 50. The processor 50 receives digital echo signals A, -B, C and -D, and synthesizes them into a digital echo signal (A+C-(B+D)). Then, based on the digital echo signal (A+C-(B+D)), the azimuth angle of the target is measured and determined by the sum-difference ratio amplitude ratio phase angle measurement method.

[0050] In this embodiment, by transmitting two electromagnetic wave detection signals to the target through the radar antenna array 10, the target's distance information, velocity information, elevation angle, and azimuth angle can be measured and determined based on the echo signals received by the radar antenna array 10, thereby improving the efficiency of determining the target's position information.

[0051] It is worth noting that the order in which the target's range, elevation, and azimuth angles are measured and determined by the radar antenna array 10 can be determined as needed and is not limited here.

[0052] In some embodiments, after the radar antenna array 10 transmits an electromagnetic wave detection signal to the target, the first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmit echo signals A and B to the first synthesizer 31, respectively. The first synthesizer 31 receives echo signals A and B, performs synthesis processing on the received echo signals to obtain an echo signal (A+B), and transmits the echo signal (A+B) to the first receiving channel 41. The first receiving channel 41 receives the echo signal (A+B), performs analog-to-digital conversion processing on it to obtain a digital echo signal (A+B), and transmits the digital echo signal (A+B) to the processor 50. The third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmit echo signals C and D to the second synthesizer 32, respectively. The second synthesizer 32 receives echo signals C and D, performs synthesis processing on the received echo signals to obtain an echo signal (C+D), and transmits the echo signal (C+D) to the second receiving channel 42. The second receiving channel 42 receives the echo signal (C+D) and performs analog-to-digital conversion on it to obtain a digital echo signal (C+D), which is then transmitted to the processor 50. The processor 50 receives the digital echo signals (A+B) and (C+D) and synthesizes them into a digital echo signal (A+B+C+D). Based on the digital echo signal (A+B+C+D), the processor measures and determines the target's position and velocity information. The processor 50 also performs phase transformation processing on the digital echo signal (C+D) to obtain a digital echo signal -(C+D), and synthesizes the digital echo signals (A+B) and -(C+D) to obtain a digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)). Based on the digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)), the processor measures and determines the target's pitch angle.

[0053] After radar antenna array 10 transmits an electromagnetic wave detection signal to the target, wave controller 20 performs phase change processing on the echo signal D received by the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 to obtain the echo signal -D. The first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmit echo signals A and B to the first synthesizer 31, respectively. The first synthesizer 31 receives echo signals A and B, synthesizes the received echo signals to obtain echo signal (A+B), and transmits echo signal (A+B) to the first receiving channel 41. The first receiving channel 41 receives echo signal (A+B), performs analog-to-digital conversion processing on it to obtain digital echo signal (A+B), and transmits digital echo signal (A+B) to processor 50. The third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmit echo signals C and -D to the second synthesizer 32, respectively. The second synthesizer 32 receives echo signals C and -D, and synthesizes the received echo signals to obtain an echo signal (CD), which is then transmitted to the second receiving channel 42. The second receiving channel 42 receives the echo signal (CD), performs analog-to-digital conversion on it to obtain a digital echo signal (CD), and transmits the digital echo signal (CD) to the processor 50. The processor 50 uses the previously measured and determined target elevation angle to compensate for the phase difference caused by the elevation angle of the echo signals (A+B) and (CD), fits the echo signal (A'-B'), and determines the target's azimuth angle using a sum-difference angle measurement method based on the echo signals (A+B) and (A'-B').

[0054] In this embodiment, by transmitting two electromagnetic wave detection signals to the target through the radar antenna array 10, the target's distance information, velocity information, elevation angle, and azimuth angle can be measured and determined based on the echo signals received by the radar antenna array 10, thereby improving the efficiency of determining the target's position information.

[0055] It is worth noting that the order in which the target's range, elevation, and azimuth angles are measured and determined by the radar antenna array 10 can be determined as needed and is not limited here.

[0056] To improve the accuracy of the determined target location information, in some embodiments, the wave controller 20 also controls the second radar antenna in the first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 to be in a turned-off state. The second radar antenna is one or more radar antennas in the first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12. The second radar antenna can be determined as needed and is not limited here. The wave controller 20 also controls the other radar antennas in the first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 (excluding the second radar antenna) to receive the second electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the second electromagnetic wave signal to the first receiving channel 41 through the first synthesizer 31. The second electromagnetic wave signal is the electromagnetic wave signal reflected by interference received by the other radar antennas in the first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 when they are not transmitting electromagnetic wave detection signals towards the target. The first receiving channel 41 receives the second electromagnetic wave signal, performs analog-to-digital conversion on the second electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a second digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmits the second digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor 50.

[0057] The third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 transmit electromagnetic wave detection signals to the target, respectively receive the echo signals C and D reflected from the target, and transmit the echo signals C and D to the second synthesizer 32. The second synthesizer 32 receives the echo signals C and D, synthesizes the received echo signals to obtain the echo signal (C+D), and transmits it to the second receiving channel 42. The second receiving channel 42 receives the echo signal (C+D), performs analog-to-digital conversion on the received echo signal to obtain the digital echo signal (C+D), and transmits the digital echo signal (C+D) to the processor 50.

[0058] The processor 50 receives the second digital electromagnetic wave signal and the digital echo signal (C+D), and performs sidelobe masking processing on the digital echo signal (C+D) according to the second digital electromagnetic wave signal.

[0059] Since digital echo signals (C+D) contain main lobes and side lobes, in this embodiment of the application, by performing side lobe masking processing on the digital echo signals (C+D) based on the second digital electromagnetic wave signal, the accuracy of the determined target's location information can be improved, and the anti-interference capability and target detection capability of the radar antenna measurement system 1 can be enhanced.

[0060] In some embodiments, the wave controller 20 further controls the third radar antenna in the third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 to be in a closed state. The third radar antenna is one or more radar antennas in the third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14. The third radar antenna can be determined as needed and is not limited here. The wave controller 20 also controls the other radar antennas in the third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 (excluding the third radar antenna) to receive the third electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the third electromagnetic wave signal to the second receiving channel 42 through the second synthesizer 32. The third electromagnetic wave signal is the electromagnetic wave signal reflected by interference received by the other radar antennas in the third radar antenna subarray 13 and the fourth radar antenna subarray 14 when they are not transmitting electromagnetic wave detection signals towards the target. The second receiving channel 42 receives the third electromagnetic wave signal, performs analog-to-digital conversion on the third electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a third digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmits the third digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor 50.

[0061] The first radar antenna subarray 11 and the second radar antenna subarray 12 transmit electromagnetic wave detection signals to the target, respectively receive echo signals A and B reflected from the target, and transmit the echo signals A and B to the first synthesizer 31. The first synthesizer 31 receives the echo signals A and B, synthesizes the received echo signals to obtain the echo signal (A+B), and transmits it to the first receiving channel 41. The first receiving channel 41 receives the echo signal (A+B), performs analog-to-digital conversion on the received echo signal to obtain the digital echo signal (A+B), and transmits the digital echo signal (A+B) to the processor 50.

[0062] The processor 50 receives the third digital electromagnetic wave signal and the digital echo signal (A+B), and performs sidelobe masking processing on the digital echo signal (A+B) according to the third digital electromagnetic wave signal.

[0063] Since the digital echo signal (A+B) contains a main lobe and side lobes, in this embodiment of the application, by performing side lobe masking processing on the digital echo signal (A+B) based on the second digital electromagnetic wave signal, the accuracy of the determined target's location information can be improved, and the anti-interference capability and target detection capability of the radar antenna measurement system 1 can be enhanced.

[0064] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of this application may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0065] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to simplify this application and aid in understanding one or more of the various aspects of the invention, features of the embodiments of this application are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the above description of exemplary embodiments of this application. However, the structure of this disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed application requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim.

[0066] Those skilled in the art will understand that modules in the device of the embodiments can be adaptively changed and placed in one or more devices different from that embodiment. Modules, units, or components in the embodiments can be combined into a single module, unit, or component, and can be divided into multiple sub-modules, sub-units, or sub-components. Except where at least some of such features and / or processes or units are mutually exclusive, any combination can be used to combine all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or device so disclosed. Unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that serves the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0067] It should be noted that the above embodiments are illustrative of this application and not restrictive, and that those skilled in the art can devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. This application can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words can be interpreted as names.

Claims

1. A radar antenna measurement system, characterized in that, The system includes a radar antenna array composed of multiple radar antenna subarrays, a wave controller, a synthesizer, a signal receiving channel, and a processor. Each of the radar antenna subarrays is used to transmit electromagnetic wave detection signals to the target and receive the first echo signal reflected by the target; The wave controller is used to perform phase change processing on a portion of the first echo signal to obtain a processed echo signal. The radar antenna subarray is also used to transmit the processed echo signal and the echo signal in the first echo signal that has not been processed by the wave controller to the combiner. The synthesizer is used to receive the echo signal transmitted by the radar antenna subarray, synthesize the received echo signal to obtain a second echo signal, and transmit the second echo signal to the signal receiving channel. The signal receiving channel is used to receive the second echo signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion on the second echo signal to obtain a first digital echo signal, and transmit the first digital echo signal to the processor; The processor is used to receive the first digital echo signal and measure and determine the position information of the target based on the first digital echo signal.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system includes four radar antenna subarrays, and the four radar antenna subarrays form a 2×2 array.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The echo signals transmitted from the four radar antenna subarrays to the synthesizer are A, B, C and D, respectively, and all of them are positive phase echo signals; The processor is used to measure and determine the distance and speed information of the target based on the first digital echo signal (A+B+C+D).

4. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The echo signals transmitted from the four radar antenna subarrays to the synthesizer are A, B, -C and -D, respectively. A and B are both positive phase echo signals, and -C and -D are both negative phase echo signals. The radar antenna subarrays transmitting echo signals A and B are located in the first row of the 2×2 array, and the radar antenna subarrays transmitting echo signals A and -C are located in the first column of the 2×2 array. The processor is used to measure and determine the pitch angle of the target based on the first digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)).

5. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The echo signals transmitted from the four radar antenna subarrays to the synthesizer are A, -B, C and -D, respectively. A and C are both positive phase echo signals, and -B and -D are both negative phase echo signals. The radar antenna subarrays transmitting echo signals A and -B are located in the first row of the 2×2 array, and the radar antenna subarrays transmitting echo signals A and C are located in the first column of the 2×2 array. The processor is used to measure and determine the azimuth of the target based on the first digital echo signal (A+C-(B+D)).

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processor is also used to store the first digital echo signal; The wave controller is also used to control the first radar antenna in the radar antenna array to be in a closed state. The other radar antennas in the radar antenna array, excluding the first radar antenna, are used to receive the first electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the first electromagnetic wave signal to the signal receiving channel through the synthesizer. The signal receiving channel is used to receive the first electromagnetic wave signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion on the first electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a first digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmit the first digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor. The processor is used to receive the first digital electromagnetic wave signal and perform sidelobe masking processing on the first digital echo signal based on the first digital electromagnetic wave signal.

7. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The synthesizer includes a first synthesizer and a second synthesizer, and the signal receiving channel includes a first receiving channel and a second receiving channel; The four radar antenna subarrays are designated as a first radar antenna subarray, a second radar antenna subarray, a third radar antenna subarray, and a fourth radar antenna subarray. The first and second radar antenna subarrays are located in the first row and the first and third radar antenna subarrays are located in the first column of the 2×2 array. The first echo signal includes a first sub-echo signal and a second sub-echo signal. The first sub-echo signal is the echo signal received by the first and second radar antenna subarrays, and the second sub-echo signal is the echo signal received by the third and fourth radar antenna subarrays. The first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray are used to transmit the echo signal processed by the wave controller in the first sub-echo signal and the echo signal not processed by the wave controller in the first sub-echo signal to the first synthesizer. The third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray are used to transmit the echo signal processed by the wave controller in the second sub-echo signal and the echo signal not processed by the wave controller in the second sub-echo signal to the second synthesizer. The first synthesizer is used to receive the echo signals transmitted by the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray, perform synthesis processing on the received echo signals to obtain a third echo signal, and transmit the third echo signal to the first receiving channel. The second synthesizer is used to receive the echo signals transmitted by the third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray, perform synthesis processing on the received echo signals to obtain the fourth echo signal, and transmit the fourth echo signal to the second receiving channel. The first receiving channel is used to receive the third echo signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion on the third echo signal to obtain a second digital echo signal, and transmit the second digital echo signal to the processor; The second receiving channel is used to receive the fourth echo signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion on the fourth echo signal to obtain a third digital echo signal, and transmit the third digital echo signal to the processor; The processor is used to receive the second digital echo signal and the third digital echo information, perform synthesis processing on the second digital echo signal and the third digital echo signal to obtain a fourth digital echo signal, and measure and determine the position information of the target based on the fourth digital echo signal.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The echo signal transmitted from the first radar antenna subarray to the first synthesizer is A; The echo signal transmitted from the second radar antenna subarray to the first synthesizer includes B and -B, wherein the echo signal -B is the signal obtained by the wave controller after performing phase change processing on the echo signal B; The echo signal transmitted from the third radar antenna subarray to the second synthesizer is C; The echo signal transmitted from the fourth radar antenna subarray to the second synthesizer includes D and -D, wherein the echo signal -D is the signal obtained by the wave controller after performing phase transformation processing on the echo signal D; When the third echo signal is (A+B) and the fourth echo signal is (C+D), the processor is used to measure and determine the distance and velocity information of the target based on the first fourth digital echo signal (A+B+C+D), synthesize a fifth echo signal -(C+D) based on the fourth echo signal C+D, and measure and determine the pitch angle of the target based on the second fourth digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)). When the third echo signal is AB and the fourth echo signal is CD, the processor is used to measure and determine the azimuth of the target based on the third type of fourth digital echo signal (A+C-(B+D)).

9. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The echo signals transmitted from the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray to the first synthesizer are A and B, respectively; The echo signal transmitted from the third radar antenna subarray to the second synthesizer is C; The echo signal transmitted from the fourth radar antenna subarray to the second synthesizer includes D and -D, wherein the echo signal -D is the signal obtained by the wave controller after performing phase transformation processing on the echo signal D; When the third echo signal is (A+B) and the fourth echo signal is (C+D), the processor is used to measure and determine the distance and velocity information of the target based on the first fourth digital echo signal (A+B+C+D), synthesize a fifth echo signal (C+D) based on the fourth echo signal (C+D), and measure and determine the pitch angle of the target based on the second fourth digital echo signal (A+B-(C+D)). When the third echo signal is (A+B) and the fourth echo signal is (CD), the processor is further configured to fit an echo signal (A'-B') based on the phase difference between the echo signal (A+B) and the echo signal (CD), and measure and determine the azimuth angle of the target based on the third type of fourth digital echo signal (A+B) and (A'-B').

10. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The wave controller is used to control the second radar antenna in the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray to be in the off state. The radar antennas in the first radar antenna subarray and the second radar antenna subarray, excluding the second radar antenna, are used to receive the second electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the second electromagnetic wave signal to the first receiving channel through the first synthesizer. The first receiving channel is used to receive the second electromagnetic wave signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion on the second electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a second digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmit the second digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor; The processor is used to receive the second digital electromagnetic wave signal and perform sidelobe masking processing on the fourth digital echo signal according to the second digital electromagnetic wave signal. Alternatively, the wave controller is used to control the third radar antenna in the third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray to be in a closed state; The radar antennas in the third radar antenna subarray and the fourth radar antenna subarray, excluding the third radar antenna, are used to receive the third electromagnetic wave signal and transmit the third electromagnetic wave signal to the second receiving channel through the second synthesizer. The second receiving channel is used to receive the third electromagnetic wave signal, perform analog-to-digital conversion on the third electromagnetic wave signal to obtain a third digital electromagnetic wave signal, and transmit the third digital electromagnetic wave signal to the processor; The processor is used to receive the third digital electromagnetic wave signal and perform sidelobe masking processing on the fourth digital echo signal based on the third digital electromagnetic wave signal.

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