JP6532017B2 - Phased array transmitter - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a phased array transmission apparatus that transmits a wireless signal by a phased array antenna.

  Phased array antenna technology is a technology widely used in wireless communication devices and radar devices, and application of the present technology to a transmitter enables formation of a directional beam and electronic scanning of the beam. . For example, when applied to a wireless communication device, it forms a beam to improve antenna gain, and by scanning it extends the range of the communication area as a result, or covers an area according to the number of users accommodated in a base station Can be controlled dynamically. In addition, when applied to a radar device, reflection from a non-detection target (clutter reflection) can be suppressed by causing a directional object to emit a sharp sharp beam formed by a phased array antenna from the transmitter to the detection target, and thus the target It is possible to improve the detection accuracy regarding the position of

  In a transmitting apparatus using phased array antenna technology, a plurality of antenna elements are arranged in an array, and each phase and amplitude of a plurality of parallel transmission systems (hereinafter referred to as “transmission branches”) feeding power to each antenna element are appropriately selected. The desired directional gain is obtained by control. The phase and amplitude of each transmission branch need to be controlled with high precision. If an error occurs in the control of the phase or amplitude of each transmission branch, the beam shape is broken, the antenna gain of the main beam is degraded, a strong radiation beam in the unnecessary direction, etc. is generated, and the system characteristics are degraded.

  In radio transmission using a phased array antenna, when an error occurs in control of phase and amplitude between transmission branches, a technique for correcting the error is required. The causes of errors include, for example, performance variations of components used in circuit mounting, process variations on integrated circuits, variations due to usage environment (eg, temperature), and performance variations of power supplies used for each transmission branch. A factor can be considered.

  As a technique for correcting a phase error and an amplitude error in wireless transmission using a phased array antenna, for example, there are conventional examples shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

  The array antenna transmitter and receiver disclosed in Patent Document 1 include RF transmitters (wireless transmitters) for feeding power to a plurality of antennas to form beams. And in patent document 1, in order to detect the error of the phase and amplitude of each transmitting branch, it is provided with RF reception part for calibrations (radio reception part for calibrations), a fast Fourier transform part, and a calibration value measurement part. . With these configurations, the transmission signal of each transmission branch extracted by the changeover switch is sequentially received, and a calibration value for error detection and correction is calculated. Then, the array antenna transmitter and receiver disclosed in Patent Document 1 correct the phase error and the amplitude error by feedback to each transmission branch based on the calculated calibration value.

  The communication device disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a calibration unit for detecting an error in the phase and amplitude of each transmission branch, an RF / IF unit (radio frequency baseband frequency conversion unit), a detection unit, and a calibration unit. A weight calculation unit. In the communication device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the transmission signal of each transmission branch extracted by the coupler is sequentially received, and a calibration value for error detection and correction is calculated to correct the error.

  Further, the phased array antenna device disclosed in Patent Document 3 acquires a correction phase storage device storing correction phase information, and information on delay time of each real time delay phase shifter, and each real time delay phase shifter And a correction phase instruction circuit for instructing a correction phase according to the delay time of Then, the phase error between each transmission branch is corrected by the phase shifter and the delay device.

JP 2005-348236 A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2006-279901 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-76743

  In conventional phased array transmitters including the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the circuit size and power consumption can be obtained by providing a calibration receiving system for detecting each of the phase error and the amplitude error of each transmission branch. The problem was that the In addition, detection errors of phase and amplitude may occur in the wiring when mounting the circuit of the calibration reception system.

  The object of the present disclosure is to provide a phased array antenna capable of correcting phase errors and amplitude errors of transmission signals between transmission branches by suppressing circuit increase or power consumption increase and facilitating easy configuration in wireless transmission by phased array antenna. An array transmitter is provided.

A phased array transmission apparatus according to the present disclosure includes M (M is an integer of 3 or more) transmission branches, a transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal of a radio frequency, a phase adjustment unit that adjusts the phase of the transmission signal, An amplitude adjustment unit that adjusts the amplitude of the transmission signal, a transmission output detection unit that extracts a part of the transmission signal that the transmission unit transmits, and any two adjacent transmission branches of the M transmission branches An inter-branch error detection unit that generates an error detection signal for detecting an error in phase and amplitude between transmission branches based on the output from the transmission output detection unit from which each output is extracted, and from the inter-branch error detection unit And an N−1th (N is an integer less than or equal to M) transmission branch and an Nth transmission based on an error storage unit that stores an error detection signal of When calculating a correction value for correcting phase and amplitude errors between branches, correction of phase and amplitude between two adjacent transmission branches prior to the (N-2) th transmission branch stored in the error storage unit A correction control unit that calculates a correction value of the phase and amplitude between the (N−1) th transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch based on the value, a correction value that corrects the phase error of the correction control unit, and the error A phase control unit that controls adjustment of the phase of the transmission signal by the phase adjustment unit based on an error detection signal stored in a storage unit; a correction value that corrects an error in the amplitude of the correction control unit; wherein and a amplitude control section for controlling the adjustment of the amplitude of the transmission signal, the phase adjustment portion and said adjustment amplitude adjusting unit of predetermined by the amplitude adjusting unit based on the error detection signal stored in the When having an order, the inter-branch error detection unit adjusts the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit when calculating a correction value for correcting an error in phase and amplitude between the two adjacent transmission branches. An error less than a unit, which is a difference between the value closest to the error and a value closest to the second among the multiples of the adjustment unit after adjustment of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit, and the error An error is detected, and the correction control unit is configured to calculate an N−1th transmission branch and an Nth transmission branch based on the value of the residual error between the N−1th smaller transmission branch stored in the error storage unit. When calculating the correction values of the phase and amplitude of the transmission branch of N, the positive / negative sign of the value of the residual error between the (N-2) th and the (N-1) th transmission branches stored in the error storage unit; 1st transmission The phase and amplitude correction values are calculated so that the positive and negative signs of the residual error value between the branch and the Nth transmission branch are inverted .
In addition, the phased array transmission apparatus of the present disclosure includes M (M is an integer of 3 or more) transmission branches, a transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal of a radio frequency, and a phase adjustment unit that adjusts the phase of the transmission signal. An amplitude adjustment unit for adjusting the amplitude of the transmission signal; a transmission output detection unit for extracting a part of the transmission signal transmitted by the transmission unit; and arbitrary two adjacent transmissions among the M transmission branches An inter-branch error detection unit that generates an error detection signal for detecting an error in phase and amplitude between transmission branches based on an output from the transmission output detection unit that extracts each output of a branch, and the inter-branch error detection And an N-1th (N is an integer less than or equal to M) transmission branch and an N-th transmission branch based on an error storage unit for storing an error detection signal from the control unit and an error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit. When calculating a correction value for correcting the phase and amplitude errors between the transmission branches of the second phase, the phase and amplitude between two adjacent transmission branches prior to the N-2nd transmission branch stored in the error storage unit. A correction control unit that calculates a correction value of the phase and amplitude between the (N−1) th transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch based on the correction value of (1); a correction value for correcting the phase error of the correction control unit; A phase control unit that controls the adjustment of the phase of the transmission signal by the phase adjustment unit based on the error detection signal stored in the error storage unit; a correction value for correcting an error in the amplitude of the correction control unit; An amplitude control unit for controlling the adjustment of the amplitude of the transmission signal by the amplitude adjustment unit based on the error detection signal stored in the storage unit; and the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit When the adjustment unit is included, the inter-branch error detection unit calculates the correction value for correcting the error of the phase and the amplitude between the two adjacent transmission branches. An error less than the adjustment unit, which is a difference between the value closest to the error and a value closest to the second among the multiples of the adjustment unit after adjustment of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit, and the error The residual error is detected, and the correction control unit determines the N-1th transmission branch and the N-1th transmission branch based on the value of the residual error between the (N-1) th smaller numbered transmission branch stored in the error storage unit. When calculating the phase and amplitude correction values of the second transmission branch, the N-2th transmission branch and the N-1th transmission branch are obtained from the residual error between the first transmission branch and the second transmission branch. Calculate the cumulative value up to the residual error during the launch, and the positive / negative sign of the cumulative value and the positive / negative sign of the value of the residual error between the N-1st transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch are inverted The phase and amplitude correction values are calculated as follows.
In addition, the phased array transmission apparatus of the present disclosure includes M (M is an integer of 3 or more) transmission branches, a transmission unit that transmits a transmission signal of a radio frequency, and a phase adjustment unit that adjusts the phase of the transmission signal. An amplitude adjustment unit for adjusting the amplitude of the transmission signal; a transmission output detection unit for extracting a part of the transmission signal transmitted by the transmission unit; and arbitrary two adjacent transmissions among the M transmission branches An inter-branch error detection unit that generates an error detection signal for detecting an error in phase and amplitude between transmission branches based on an output from the transmission output detection unit that extracts each output of a branch, and the inter-branch error detection And an N-1th (N is an integer less than or equal to M) transmission branch and an N-th transmission branch based on an error storage unit for storing an error detection signal from the control unit and an error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit. When calculating a correction value for correcting the phase and amplitude errors between the transmission branches of the second phase, the phase and amplitude between two adjacent transmission branches prior to the N-2nd transmission branch stored in the error storage unit. A correction control unit that calculates a correction value of phase and amplitude between the (N−1) th transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch based on the correction value of
A phase control unit for controlling the adjustment of the phase of the transmission signal by the phase adjustment unit based on the correction value for correcting the phase error of the correction control unit and the error detection signal stored in the error storage unit; An amplitude control unit for controlling the adjustment of the amplitude of the transmission signal by the amplitude adjustment unit based on a correction value for correcting an error in the amplitude of the control unit and an error detection signal stored in the error storage unit; When the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit have predetermined adjustment units, the inter-branch error detection unit calculates a correction value for correcting an error in phase and amplitude between the two adjacent transmission branches. An error less than the adjustment unit of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit, the error being the largest among the multiples of the adjustment unit after adjustment of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit; The residual error, which is the difference between the near value and the second closest value, and the error is detected, and the correction control unit is configured to transmit the N-1th smaller number of transmission branches stored in the error storage unit. When calculating phase and amplitude correction values of the (N−1) th transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch based on the value of the residual error, the residual error between the first transmission branch and the second transmission branch is calculated. , The cumulative value up to the residual error between the (N-2) th transmission branch and the (N-1) th transmission branch, calculate the accumulated value, and between the (N-1) th transmission branch and the N-th transmission branch A possible value of the residual error is added, and correction values of phase and amplitude are calculated so that the absolute value of the added value becomes smaller.

  According to the present disclosure, in wireless transmission by a phased array antenna, it is possible to suppress an increase in circuits or an increase in power consumption, and correct phase errors and amplitude errors of transmission signals between transmission branches by a simple configuration that is easy to implement.

Block diagram showing the configuration of a phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure Block diagram showing the configuration of the inter-branch error detection unit Characteristic diagram showing the output from the inter-branch error detection unit for the phase difference between the transmission output signals of two transmission branches Block diagram showing the configuration of a phased array transmission apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure The figure which shows the structure of the integrated circuit containing the phased array transmitter which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this indication. Block diagram showing the configuration of a phased array transmission apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure Diagram for explaining the step size of the phase adjustment unit or the amplitude adjustment unit and the residual error resulting therefrom

<Circumstances leading to the contents of each embodiment according to the present disclosure>
First, before describing an embodiment of a phased array transmission apparatus according to the present disclosure, problems in a technique for correcting a phase error and an amplitude error in a phased array antenna will be described.

  In the patent documents 1 and patent documents 2 mentioned above, the circuit which down-converts the loopback signal of each transmission branch as a calibration reception system, and detects a phase error and an amplitude error by digital signal processing separately is provided. . The calibration reception system is a circuit that performs reception processing of a transmission RF signal (transmission radio signal) as the circuit of the signal reception system, and has a problem that the circuit size and power consumption become large.

  In addition, in the wiring for inputting the loopback signal of each transmission branch to the calibration reception system, if there is a difference in the wiring length or the parasitic element to be added (electrical coupling with other circuits), detection of phase and amplitude It is a factor that causes an error in the result. In particular, when the RF signal (radio signal) is a high frequency signal such as a microwave or a millimeter wave, an error factor due to the wiring of the calibration receiving system becomes large. For example, it is necessary to take measures such as making the wiring of the loopback signal equal in length or providing a shield, which causes a problem that the circuit mounting becomes difficult.

  Moreover, in the patent document 3 mentioned above, the means to detect the phase and phase of the transmission signal actually transmitted from each antenna are not provided. Therefore, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, when the phase and amplitude errors of the transmission signal temporally change due to various factors including temperature, it is difficult to correct the phase and amplitude errors with high accuracy.

  In view of the problem in high-speed startup of the current output described above, the present disclosure provides a phased array transmission device that can be implemented with a simple configuration that is easy to mount and that can correct phase errors and amplitude errors with high accuracy.

<Description of the embodiment according to the present disclosure>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a phased array transmission apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described. In each of the following embodiments, the same reference numeral is given to the same configuration, and the overlapping description will be omitted. Hereinafter, a wireless transmission device using phased array antenna technology (a wireless transmission device using a phased array antenna) will be referred to as a phased array transmission device.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a phased array transmission apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The first embodiment shows a configuration example having two transmission branches as a plurality of parallel transmission systems. However, the phased array transmission apparatus of the first embodiment is also applicable to a configuration having three or more transmission branches.

  The phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment includes transmission branches 101 and 102, an inter-branch error detection unit 110, a transmission signal generation unit 120, a correction control unit 130, a beam angle control unit 140, a correction storage unit 150, and a transmission unit. The control unit 170, the phase control unit 180, and the amplitude control unit 190 are provided.

  In the phased array transmission apparatus, the transmission branches 101 and 102 feed transmission signals to a plurality of respective antennas, up-convert the transmission signals to radio frequencies, and control the phase and amplitude of the transmission signals.

  The transmission branch 101 includes an antenna unit 11, a transmission output detection unit 161, a transmission unit 171, a phase adjustment unit 181, and an amplitude adjustment unit 191. The transmission branch 102 includes an antenna unit 12, a transmission output detection unit 162, a transmission unit 172, a phase adjustment unit 182, and an amplitude adjustment unit 192. That is, transmission branches 101 and 102 have the same configuration.

  The antenna units 11 and 12 radiate the transmission signal into space. The antenna units 11 and 12 constitute a phased array antenna that performs beam control by the relative phase of the excitation coefficient of the antenna element. In the phased array antenna, the shape of the transmission beam is determined by the directivity of the single antenna, the arrangement spacing of the plurality of antennas, and the level and phase of the transmission signal fed to each antenna.

  The transmission output detection units 161 and 162 are respectively provided near the antenna ends in front of the antenna units 11 and 12, extract a part of the transmission signals to be fed, and output the extracted transmission signals to the inter-branch error detection unit 110. Hereinafter, the signal that the transmission output detection unit 161 extracts from the transmission branch 101 is referred to as a branch A signal, and the signal that the transmission output detection unit 162 extracts from the transmission branch 102 is referred to as a branch B signal. The levels of the branches A and B extracted by the transmission output detectors 161 and 162 are about one fifth of that of the transmission signal in consideration of level reduction and quality deterioration of the transmission signal, and the influence on the antenna end output impedance. Or set to be less than that. The transmission output detection units 161 and 162 are, for example, distributed coupled lines or transformers that perform electric field coupling or magnetic field coupling with transmission signal transmission lines, or capacitors having relatively small capacitance values, choke inductors having large inductance values, or the like. It is constructed by combining the passive circuits of

  The transmission units 171 and 172 include power amplifiers 1713 and 1723 and mixer circuits 1711 and 1721. The power amplifiers 1713 and 1723 and the mixer circuits 1711 and 1721 up convert the transmission signal to a radio frequency band and amplify it to an output level necessary for transmission.

  The phase adjusters 181 and 182 are formed of circuits (not shown) such as phase shifters and delayers, for example, and adjust the phases of transmission signals in the transmission branches 101 and 102. The phase adjustment units 181 and 182 adjust the phase based on the phase shift control amount generated by the correction control unit 130 described later.

  The phase adjustment of the transmission signal by the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 may be performed on either the baseband signal or the radio frequency signal. Further, the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 may perform phase adjustment on the local oscillation signal used when up-converting the baseband signal. In addition, when the transmission units 171 and 172 use an intermediate frequency, the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 may perform phase adjustment on the intermediate frequency.

  That is, in FIG. 1, the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 are provided in the baseband circuit, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and may be provided in the radio frequency band circuit. Specifically, the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 may be provided inside the transmission units 171 and 172, or provided between the transmission output detection units 161 and 162 and the transmission units 171 and 172. It is also good. Alternatively, the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 may be provided between the local oscillation signal source (not shown) and the up-converting mixer circuits 1711 and 1721 of the transmission units 171 and 172.

  The amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 are formed of circuits such as variable gain amplifiers and variable attenuators, and adjust the amplitudes of the transmission signals in the transmission branches 101 and 102. The amplitude adjusting units 191 and 192 adjust the amplitude based on the amplitude control amount generated by the correction control unit 130 described later.

  The amplitude adjustment of the transmission signal by the amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 may be performed on either the baseband signal or the radio frequency signal. Also, the amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 may adjust the amplitude of the transmission signal by performing amplitude adjustment on the local oscillation signal used when up-converting the baseband signal.

  That is, in FIG. 1, the amplitude adjusting units 191 and 192 are provided in the baseband circuit as in the phase adjusting units 181 and 182, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. May be provided in the circuit of That is, the amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 may be provided inside the transmission units 171 and 172, or may be provided between the transmission output detection units 161 and 162 and the transmission units 171 and 172. Alternatively, the amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 may be provided between a local oscillation signal source (not shown) and the up-converting mixer circuits 1711 and 1721 of the transmission units 171 and 172. In addition, the amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 may be realized by adjusting the gain by bias control of the power amplifiers 1713 and 1723 of the transmission units 171 and 172.

  Further, the arrangement order of the transmission units 171 and 172, the phase adjustment units 181 and 182, and the amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 is not limited in the present disclosure. The transmitting units 171 and 172, the phase adjusting units 181 and 182, and the amplitude adjusting units 191 and 192 are not limited to the order shown in FIG. 1, and may be arranged in any order.

  The inter-branch error detection unit 110 detects each output level (amplitude) of the transmission signals of the transmission branches 101 and 102 and two transmission signals based on the branch A and B signals input from the transmission output detection units 161 and 162. Information about the phase difference of Then, the inter-branch error detection unit 110 generates an error detection signal based on the detected information, and outputs the error detection signal to the correction control unit 130. As shown in FIG. 1, the inter-branch error detection unit 110 is provided between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102, and is connected to transmission output detection units 161 and 162 of the transmission branches 101 and 102. Details of the configuration and operation of the inter-branch error detection unit 110 will be described later.

  The transmission signal generation unit 120 generates a modulated baseband signal to be transmitted, and supplies the same transmission signal to each of the transmission branches 101 and 102 at the same timing.

  The beam angle control unit 140 performs transmission based on the output level of the transmission signal and the required specification of beam directivity such as the suppression ratio of the radiation amount (directional side lobe) in the direction to emit the transmission signal and the unnecessary direction. The phase shift amount and the amplitude amount of the transmission signal to be transmitted by the branches 101 and 102 are calculated. Here, the phase shift amount and the amplitude amount of the transmission signal to be transmitted by the transmission branches 101 and 102, which are calculated by the beam angle control unit 140, are hereinafter referred to as a required phase shift amount and a required amplitude amount.

  Based on the error detection signals of the transmission branches 101 and 102 input from the inter-branch error detection unit 110, the correction control unit 130 calculates an amount of error regarding the phase and amplitude between the transmission branches. Then, the correction control unit 130 corrects the required phase shift amount and the required amplitude amount input from the beam angle control unit 140 using the error amount, and calculates the phase shift control amount and the amplitude control amount. Furthermore, the correction control unit 130 performs transmission unit control, which will be described later, on the basis of the calculated phase shift control amount and amplitude control amount to output instructions for controlling on / off of the transmission signal output to each transmission branch. Output to the section 170.

  The correction storage unit 150 stores an error amount of the phase and amplitude of each transmission branch calculated by the correction control unit 130, or any one of information on an amplitude control amount and a phase shift control amount which is a correction value based on the error amount. Do. In addition, when the correction control unit 130 newly calculates an error amount, the correction storage unit 150 updates information regarding the stored error amount or the corrected phase shift control amount and amplitude control amount. Note that both the phase shift and amplitude error amount and the phase shift control amount and amplitude control amount may be stored in the correction storage unit 150.

  According to the output instruction of the correction control unit 130, the transmission unit control unit 170 controls the transmission units 171 and 172 to individually turn on or off the output of the transmission signals of the transmission branches 101 and 102. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the transmitter control unit 170 controls the transmitters 171 and 172, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the transmitter control unit 170 may be configured to transmit the transmitter signal generator 120. By controlling, the presence or absence of the output of each transmission branch 101, 102 may be controlled.

  The phase control unit 180 transmits the phase shift control signal generated using the phase shift control amount calculated by the correction control unit 130, and controls the phase adjustment unit 181 of the transmission branch 101 and the phase adjustment unit 182 of the transmission branch 102. . For example, when the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 change the phase shift amount according to the analog voltage value or the digital voltage value, the phase control unit 180 converts the phase shift control signal supplied to the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 into an analog voltage value or a digital value. Convert.

  The amplitude control unit 190 transmits the amplitude control signal generated using the amplitude control amount calculated by the correction control unit 130, and controls the amplitude adjustment unit 191 of the transmission branch 101 and the amplitude adjustment unit 192 of the transmission branch 102. For example, when the amplitude adjustment unit 191, 192 changes the amplitude amount according to the analog voltage value or the digital voltage value, the amplitude control unit 190 converts the amplitude control signal supplied to the amplitude adjustment unit 191, 192 into an analog voltage value or a digital value. .

  The correction control unit 130 and the correction storage unit 150, and the transmission unit control unit 170, the phase control unit 180, the amplitude control unit 190, and the beam angle control unit 140 are realized by digital signal processing by an information processing circuit including a processor and a memory. be able to. Specifically, these configurations can realize the functions that each has by operating a software program in a processor and executing predetermined processing.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the inter-branch error detection unit 110 in FIG. The inter-branch error detection unit 110 includes a signal synthesis unit 210, a detection unit 220, and an AD conversion unit 230.

  The signal synthesis unit 210 partially extracts the branch A signal (a signal obtained by extracting a part of the transmission signal of the transmission branch 101) and the branch B signal (a transmission signal of the transmission branch 102) input from the transmission output detection units 161 and 162. Signal) is added. The signal combining unit 210 includes, for example, a passive circuit such as a Wilkinson-type power combiner that combines two signals into electric power, and can ensure separation between the two transmission branches 101 and 102. When the input signals from the two transmission branches 101 and 102 are in phase, the addition output of the signal combining unit 210 has the maximum amplitude. On the other hand, when the input signals from the two transmission branches 101 and 102 are in opposite phase, that is, 180 degrees in phase difference, the addition output of the signal combining unit 210 has the minimum amplitude.

  The detection unit 220 is connected to the output terminal of the signal synthesis unit 210, detects the output level of the signal synthesis unit 210, and outputs (measures) a detection signal. The detection unit 220 can be configured by a simple and compact circuit, such as a square detector with a diode or a FET (field effect transistor), and with low power consumption. The detection unit 220 may further include an amplifier and a detector as necessary to improve detection performance.

  The AD conversion unit 230 is connected to the output terminal of the detection unit 220, and converts the analog voltage of the detection signal output from the detection unit 220 into an error detection signal of digital value that can be processed by the correction control unit 130. The AD conversion unit 230 is configured by a DC circuit or the like for converting the detection voltage value of direct current output by the detection unit 220 by square-law detection or envelope detection operation into a digital value. As the AD conversion unit 230, a circuit operating at low speed may be used. That is, as the A / D conversion unit 230, a circuit that performs sampling operation faster than or equal to the modulation speed, which is used for demodulation of a transmission signal, is unnecessary. Therefore, the AD conversion unit 230 is simple and small, and can be realized by a circuit with low power consumption.

  The procedure of the error correction regarding the phase error and the amplitude error between each transmission branch in the first embodiment will be described.

  As a first procedure, the correction control unit 130 detects the transmission output levels of the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 respectively. Specifically, in response to the output instruction of the correction control unit 130, the transmission unit control unit 170 causes the transmission branch 101 to transmit a transmission signal. A part of the transmission signal is extracted by the transmission output detection unit 161, and is input to the inter-branch error detection unit 110 as a branch A signal. Then, the inter-branch error detection unit 110 detects the transmission output level (amplitude) of the transmission signal 101 based on the branch A signal. Similarly, in response to the output instruction of the correction control unit 130, the transmission unit control unit 170 causes the transmission branch 102 to transmit a transmission signal. A part of the transmission signal is extracted by the transmission output detection unit 162, and is input to the inter-branch error detection unit 110 as a branch B signal. Then, the inter-branch error detection unit 110 detects the transmission output level of the transmission signal 102 based on the branch B signal. Under the present circumstances, the correction control part 130 produces | generates the initial value of the amount of amplitude control which the amplitude of all the transmission branches becomes equal, assuming that the error between transmission branches is 0, and outputs it to the amplitude control part 190. Do. Thereby, the correction control unit 130 can grasp the actual transmission output level with respect to the initial value of the amplitude control amount to the amplitude control unit 190 for the transmission branches 101 and 102.

  As a second procedure, the correction control unit 130 calculates the phase error amount between the transmission branches 101 and 102 based on the error detection signals of the transmission branches 101 and 102 input from the inter-branch error detection unit 110.

  FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the phase difference between the transmission signals of the two transmission branches 101 and 102 and the error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit 110. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates the phase difference between the transmission branches 101 and 102, and the vertical axis indicates the output of the inter-branch error detection unit 110. Although the value actually output from the inter-branch error detection unit 110 is a digital value after AD conversion by the AD conversion unit 230, it is illustrated as an analog voltage value output by the detection unit 220 in FIG. 3 for simplicity.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the phase difference between branches is changed from 0 degree to 360 degrees, the error detection signal shows the maximum value under the condition that the phase difference becomes the same phase, and the condition that the phase difference becomes the opposite phase 180 degrees. Shows the minimum value in. In addition, for example, when setting a reference voltage value of 0.3 V as the reference value of the error detection signal, there are two phase values (values of phase difference) for which the error detection signal is the reference value.

  As shown in FIG. 3, phase shift control amounts in which the phase differences between the branches are in phase and out of phase are obtained when the error detection signal has the maximum value and the minimum value. However, for example, when the phase difference between the branches is in reverse phase, the error detection signal has a voltage value of zero or a value close to zero. Here, it is difficult for the AD conversion unit 230 of the inter-branch error detection unit 110 to detect a minute error detection signal with high accuracy and convert it into a digital value. Also, for example, when the phase difference deviates from 180 degrees by 1 degree, the change in output is as small as several millivolts, and to detect a minute voltage difference, an AD conversion circuit having a large number of bits is There is a problem that the circuit becomes large.

  In order to solve such a problem, in the first embodiment, a reference voltage value that is easy to ensure accuracy is set instead of detecting a minute voltage value that is difficult to detect for the error detection signal. The phase shift control amount of the in-phase and the anti-phase is obtained based on the phase value at which the output of the error detection signal becomes the reference voltage value. That is, in the first embodiment, using the symmetry of the error detection signal with respect to the phase difference, two points having the same value corresponding to one reference voltage value are detected, and the median value of the detected two points is determined. A phase shift control amount corresponding to the in-phase condition and the anti-phase condition is obtained. The reference voltage value may be set, for example, as a value near the middle of the output level range of the error detection signal so that the output level change of the error detection signal with respect to the phase change becomes large.

  Specifically, in the first embodiment, the phase shift control amount is acquired as follows. First, the correction control unit 130 causes the amplitude control unit 190 to adjust the transmission output levels of the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 to be approximately the same. Next, the correction control unit 130 causes the phase control unit 180 to fix the phase shift amount of the phase adjustment unit 181, and controls the phase shift amount of the phase adjustment unit 182, so that the phase difference between transmission branches is 0 degrees to 360 degrees. Change up to degrees.

  Thereby, the correction control unit 130 sets the first and second reference phase shift control amounts (two reference phase shift control amounts (one reference phase control amount) at which the error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit 110 becomes a preset reference voltage value. ) And get (2)).

  Finally, the correction control unit 130 determines that the transmission branches are in phase and out of phase from the relationship between the first and second reference phase shift control amounts for the phase adjustment unit 182 and the output level change of the error detection signal with respect to the phase change. The respective phase shift control amounts are calculated.

  The phase shift control amount in which the transmission branches have the same phase and the opposite phase can be calculated as follows. For example, in FIG. 3, when the reference voltage value set in advance is 0.3 V and the phase shift control amount to the phase adjustment unit 182 given to the phase control unit 180 is changed, two reference phase shifts shown in FIG. The quantities A and B are obtained. If the output level of the error detection signal decreases after decreasing when the phase shift control amount is changed from A to B, it is assumed that a minimum value in the reverse phase condition exists between them, and the phase shift control amount The center value of A and B becomes the phase shift control amount C in which the phase difference between the transmission branches is in reverse phase. Further, the median value of the phase shift control amounts B and A becomes the phase shift control amount D in which the phase difference between the transmission branches is in phase.

  Conversely, if the output level of the error detection signal decreases after increasing when the phase shift control amount is changed from A to B, it is assumed that there is a maximum value in the in-phase condition between them. The median of the phase shift control amounts A and B is the phase shift control amount D where the phase difference between the branches is in phase, the median between the phase shift control amounts B and A is the phase difference between the branches is the opposite phase The phase shift control amount C is

  As described above, even if the phase characteristics of the transmitting unit 171 and the transmitting unit 172 differ due to, for example, various causes of variation according to the second procedure, the transmitting branch 101 and the transmitting branch 102 have the same phase or opposite phase. Phase shift control amount can be obtained. Then, by comparing the phase shift control amount for the phase adjustment unit 182 with the phase shift control amount for the phase adjustment unit 181, the phase error amount of the transmission unit 171 and the transmission unit 172 can be grasped.

  The correction control unit 130 calculates the phase error amount in this manner. Here, the phase error amount obtained by the in-phase condition and the phase error amount obtained by the anti-phase condition are basically the same amount. Therefore, the validity of the phase error amount obtained under the other condition can be evaluated with the phase error amount obtained under one of the conditions. However, the phase error amount of the in-phase condition and the anti-phase condition may be different due to factors such as non-linearity of the phase adjustment units 181 and 182, for example. The phase error amount is derived as correction data for each of the in-phase condition and the anti-phase condition, and the correction data is calculated by interpolation based on the two correction data for phase setting between 0 degrees and 180 degrees. It can also be done.

  In the second procedure described above, it has been described that the transmit power levels of the transmit branch 101 and the transmit branch 102 are adjusted to the same level first, but the same procedure is followed even if the two output levels are not the same. It is possible to obtain phase shift control amounts that are in phase and in antiphase. Therefore, when the amplitude error between the transmission branches 101 and 102 remains, the phase error and the phase shift control amount are detected even when the amplitude difference is intentionally generated in the transmission signal during the beam forming operation. be able to.

  In the second procedure, the phase adjustment unit 182 is adjusted to change the phase difference between the transmission branches from 0 degrees to 360 degrees. However, the phase adjustment unit 181 may be adjusted, or both of the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 may be adjusted to change the phase difference between the transmission branches from 0 degrees to 360 degrees.

  Next, as a third procedure, the correction control unit 130 calculates the correction value of the amplitude error and the correction value of the phase error. Specifically, first, the correction control unit 130 performs each transmission based on the comparison result of the actual transmission output level to the amplitude control amount to the amplitude control unit 190 performed for each transmission branch in the first procedure. Calculate the correction value of the branch's amplitude error. Then, the correction control unit 130 calculates the correction value of the phase error of each transmission branch based on the phase shift control amount of the in-phase condition and the anti-phase condition of the inter-transmission phase difference obtained by the second procedure. Then, the correction control unit 130 stores the correction value of the amplitude error and the correction value of the phase error in the correction storage unit 150.

  The correction storage unit 150 holds an amplitude correction table and a phase correction table. The amplitude correction table has information of the amplitude control amount for each transmission branch to be input to the amplitude control unit 190 in order to realize the required amplitude amount input from the beam angle control unit 140. That is, the amplitude correction table is, for example, a table in which a correction value or an amplitude control amount for each amplitude value is associated with a predetermined amplitude value as the required amplitude amount for each transmission branch. The phase correction table has information of phase shift control amounts for each transmission branch to be input to the phase control unit 180 in order to realize the required phase shift amount input from the beam angle control unit 140. That is, the phase correction table is, for example, a table in which a correction value or a phase shift control amount for each phase value is associated for each transmission branch with a predetermined phase value as the required phase shift amount.

  The correction control unit 130 adds the calculated amplitude correction value and the phase correction value to the amplitude correction table and the phase correction table held by the correction storage unit 150 and stores them. Further, the correction control unit 130 updates the amplitude correction table and the phase correction table that the correction storage unit 150 has, each time the correction value regarding the amplitude error and the phase error is obtained by the first procedure and the second procedure.

  According to the above-described procedure, the correction control unit 130 acquires correction values regarding the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branches, and causes the correction storage unit 150 to store the correction values. Then, the correction control unit 130 controls the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 and the amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 based on the information of the phase correction table and the amplitude correction table for each of the transmission branches 101 and 102, and the phase and amplitude Correct the error of

  As a result, it is possible to output the transmission signal having the required amplitude and phase which has been subjected to the error correction from each of the transmission branches 101 and 102. Therefore, it is possible to form a transmission beam in which an error between transmission branches is suppressed in adjusting the phase and the amplitude to obtain a desired beam directivity.

  In an actual operation, for example, since the value of the error between transmission branches changes due to the change of the environment, the above-described procedure of the error correction may be performed periodically.

  Further, in the transmission branches 101 and 102, when the phase error differs depending on the output level of the transmission signal, for example, the phase error may be obtained and corrected for each amplitude required in actual use. If the phase shift characteristics of the phase shifters of the phase adjustment units 181 and 182 are non-linear, for example, a phase error may be obtained and corrected for each phase shift amount required in actual use.

  As described above, in the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment, the inter-branch error detection unit 110 is provided between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102, and the correction control unit 130 outputs the inter-branch error detection unit 110. The phase error and the amplitude error between the plurality of transmission branches are calculated based on the error detection signal to be corrected, and the phase error and the amplitude error are corrected by the phase control unit 180 and the amplitude control unit 190. The inter-branch error detection unit 110 can be configured by a small-sized and low-power mountable signal synthesis unit, a detection unit, and an AD conversion unit. Therefore, in the phased array transmission apparatus of the first embodiment, errors in amplitude characteristics and phase characteristics between two transmission branches can be detected and corrected by a simple procedure using a simple configuration. .

  Further, in the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment, the inter-branch error detection unit 110 can be a small circuit. Therefore, when the circuit of the inter-branch error detection unit 110 is mounted on an integrated circuit or a printed circuit board, the space between the circuit layout or circuit mounting pattern of the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is mounted with freedom. Becomes easy. Therefore, high-frequency signal lines connected from the transmission output detection units 161 and 162 to the inter-branch error detection unit 110 can be wired so as to be short, equal in length, and symmetrical, and the mountability can be enhanced. .

  As a result, it is possible to reduce the detection error of the amplitude and the phase that may occur due to the wiring that extracts the transmission signal, and it is possible to realize the phase and the amplitude correction with high accuracy. Therefore, the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment is resistant to various variations such as variations due to circuit manufacturing processes, variations in use environment (for example, temperature), and variations in power supply voltage during operation. In addition, the phased array transmission apparatus of the first embodiment can also take measures against variations for the same reason, and can accurately detect an amplitude error and a phase error.

  Further, in the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment, the transmission output detection units 161 and 162 have a configuration in which a part of the transmission signal is extracted from each transmission branch. As a result, it is possible to avoid the situation where the characteristics of the antenna change due to the impedance change at the time of switch switching in the configuration in which the transmission signal is extracted by the switch switching as shown in Patent Document 1.

  Further, in the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment, in order to detect an amplitude error and a phase error of each transmission branch, a reception system for calibration which down converts a transmission signal into a baseband signal and performs reception processing No circuit is required. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in circuits, an increase in power consumption, and an increase in cost.

  In addition, the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment includes amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 as means for adjusting the amplitude of each transmission branch individually. Therefore, by weighting the transmission power levels from the plurality of antennas, it is possible to further suppress the directivity side lobe of the transmission beam as compared to the case where the transmission power levels are uniform.

  As a result, in the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment, the desired beam directivity can be obtained by calibrating the amplitude and phase adjustment between the transmission branches, and the deterioration of the side lobe suppression amount is suppressed. can do. The configuration of the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment is small in size, low in cost, and low in power of the additional circuit required for calibration as compared with the configuration of the conventional system having a reception system for down converting a transmission signal by a mixer. Can be implemented by Therefore, the circuit can be integrated, and the configuration can be high in mountability also in printed circuit board mounting.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a phased array transmission apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. In the second embodiment, based on the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a configuration example in which the number of transmission branches is three is shown.

  The phased array transmission apparatus according to the second embodiment has a configuration in which a transmission branch 103 is provided in addition to the transmission branches 101 and 102. Further, the configuration is provided with a detection unit control unit 410 connected to the inter-branch error detection unit 111 and the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and components denoted with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 have the same functions, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The inter-branch error detection unit 111 is provided between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103, and is connected to the transmission output detection units 162 and 163 of the transmission branches 102 and 103. The inter-branch error detection unit 111 detects information on each output level (amplitude) of the transmission signals of the transmission branches 102 and 103 and the phase difference between the two signals based on the signals input from the transmission output detection units 162 and 163. Output as an error detection signal to the correction control unit 130. The configuration and operation of the inter-branch error detection unit 111 are similar to those of the inter-branch error detection unit 110 described with reference to FIG.

  The detection unit control unit 410 controls the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111 so as to correct the error of the detection characteristic of each inter-branch error detection unit calculated by the correction control unit 130. The detection unit control unit 410 is, for example, a circuit of a detection unit in each of the inter-branch error detection units so that the inter-branch error detection unit 110 and the inter-branch error detection unit 111 have the same error detection characteristics. Adjust the bias of to correct the error of the detection characteristics.

  The procedure of the error correction regarding the phase error and the amplitude error between each transmission branch in the second embodiment will be described below. The basic operation of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the following, portions different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the second embodiment, phase errors and amplitude errors between three transmission branches are corrected. Therefore, after detecting and correcting the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branches 101 and 102 according to the procedure described in the first embodiment, the phase error and the amplitude between the transmission branches 102 and 103 according to the same procedure. Detect and correct errors. That is, in the second embodiment, in the case where three or more transmission branches 101 to 103 are provided, the relative error between adjacent transmission branches is detected and corrected, whereby the mutual phase errors among all the transmission branches are obtained. And correct the amplitude error.

  Here, in order to realize accurate correction, it is important that the error detection characteristics of the inter-branch error detectors 110 and 111 be the same. In the second embodiment, the following procedure is performed in order to make the detection characteristics of the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111 the same.

  As a first procedure, the correction control unit 130 causes the transmission unit control unit 170 to turn off the transmission branches 101 and 103 and cause the transmission branch 102 to perform transmission operation. The transmission output detection unit 162 is designed such that the two outputs to the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111 have substantially the same level, and the transmission signal of the transmission branch 102 is transmitted to both of the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111 in the same manner. It is input by the level.

  As a second procedure, the correction control unit 130 compares the two error detection signals input from each of the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111, and makes the detection unit control unit 410 so that both have the same level. Direct control. The detection unit control unit 410 adjusts the detection characteristics of one or both of the detection units included in the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111 using, for example, a bias, and the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111 output The error detection signals are made to have the same level.

  In addition, as an initial setting of the detection units included in the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111, for example, the detection unit control unit 410 checks the bias current of each detection unit and performs initial adjustment so that these become the same. It may be By doing this, the detection characteristics of the detection circuit in the detection unit, that is, the relationship between the output detection voltage value and the input signal level can be made uniform to some extent. Thereby, the error can be reduced before the execution of the first procedure.

  After correcting all inter-branch error detectors to have the same detection characteristic by the above procedure, the correction controller 130 detects the transmission output level of each transmission branch in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Do. That is, the correction control unit 130 causes the transmission unit control unit 170 to sequentially operate all the transmission branches 101 to 103, detect the signal levels, detect the output levels of all the transmission branches, and transmit the transmission output levels of all the transmission branches. Are compared to detect an amplitude error between transmitting branches. Thereafter, the correction control unit 130 causes the amplitude control unit 190 to calculate the correction value of the amplitude error of each of the transmission branches 101 to 103, and the amplitude adjustment units 191 to 193 of the transmission branches 101 to 103 are respectively adjusted by the corrected amplitude control amount. Adjust and correct the amplitude characteristics.

  Further, as for the phase error, as in the first embodiment, the phase error amount between the transmission branches is detected, the correction value of the phase error is calculated, and the transmission branches 101 to 103 are calculated according to the corrected phase shift control amount. The phase adjustment units 181 to 183 are adjusted to correct the phase characteristic.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, in the phased array transmission apparatus using three or more antennas, as in the first embodiment, errors in amplitude characteristics and phase characteristics between all transmission branches are obtained. It can be detected. Also, the phase error and the amplitude error can be corrected by a simple procedure. Thereby, highly accurate beam formation can be performed in a phased array transmission system that forms a highly directional beam by controlling many antennas.

  The configuration shown in the second embodiment can be applied to a configuration having four or more transmission branches. For example, when there are N transmission branches, all (N-1) inter-branch error detectors are provided between the transmission branches, and phase error and amplitude error between adjacent transmission branches are sequentially detected. The error between the transmission branches can be grasped and corrected similarly.

  According to the second embodiment, it is not necessary to provide an inter-branch error detection unit for all combinations (N × (N−1) / 2) for a phased array transmission apparatus having N transmission branches. A smaller number of (N-1) circuits may be provided. This is because the inter-branch error detection unit is provided only between adjacent transmission branches. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in circuits and an increase in power consumption, and it is possible to correct an error of the entire phased array transmission apparatus by a compact and easy-to-implement configuration.

  In the second embodiment, the transmission output detection unit 162 has two outputs to the inter-branch error detection units 110 and 111, and the transmission output detection units 161 and 163 each have one inter-branch error detection unit 110. Alternatively, it has an asymmetric configuration with an output to 111. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, there is no problem in operation if the signal levels extracted by each transmission output detection unit are all made the same for the same transmission signal level.

  Also, for example, it is difficult to design so that the outputs of all the inter-branch error detection units are the same, and it is difficult to design as a circuit that performs ideal operation, and detection errors occur. Correction may be performed in consideration of an error. In such a case, since the design error of the circuit can be estimated in advance, the correction control unit 130 corrects the phase error and the amplitude error in consideration of the design error, or the detection unit control unit 410 corrects the error detection signal. There is no problem in operation if it is controlled.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of an integrated circuit including a phased array transmission apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. The third embodiment shows a configuration example in which a circuit of a phased array transmission system having four transmission branches is implemented in an integrated circuit.

  In the integrated circuit 200 constituting the phased array transmission apparatus, the circuits of four transmission branches 101, 102, 103, and 104 are laid out and mounted on a semiconductor chip. Pads 201, 202, 203 and 204 are formed at the end portions of the transmission branches 101 to 104, respectively, and antenna units 11, 12, 13 and 14 are connected to the pads 201 to 204, respectively. Although FIG. 5 shows the configuration in which the antenna units 11 to 14 are provided outside and connected to the pads 201 to 204, the antenna units 11 to 14 are formed on the semiconductor chip without providing the pads 201 to 204. It may be.

  As in the first embodiment, each of the transmission branches 101 to 104 has transmission output detectors 161 to 164, transmitters 171 to 174, phase adjusters 181 to 184, and amplitude adjusters 191 to 194. Further, the inter-branch error detection unit 110 between the transmission branches 101 and 102, the inter-branch error detection unit 111 between the transmission branches 102 and 103, and the inter-branch error detection unit 112 between the transmission branches 103 and 104. Be placed.

  Further, in the integrated circuit 200, a transmission signal generation unit 120 and a correction control unit 130 are disposed. Although a circuit including the phase control unit 180 and the amplitude control unit 190 is similarly disposed in the integrated circuit 200, illustration is omitted.

  The inter-branch error detectors 110 to 112 according to the third embodiment can be made smaller by a simple circuit and can be mounted in a smaller space as compared with the receiving circuit used for processing the received signal. By laying out the inter-branch error detection unit between the transmission branches, the wires 211 to 216 from the transmission output detection units 161 to 164 to the inter-branch error detection units 110 to 112 can be shortened.

  That is, the layout design (wiring) with reduced parasitic elements (electrical coupling) with other circuits and wirings is possible by avoiding the wiring routing. Further, the lengths of the wires 211 to 216 from the transmission branches 101 to 104 to the inter-branch error detectors 110 to 112 can be equal. As a result, the number of parasitic elements is small, and the phase change and the amplitude change of the signal are the same in each wiring, so that the amplitude error and the phase error due to the wiring can be reduced, and highly accurate correction is possible.

  In the integrated circuit 200, if a parasitic element occurs in the wiring, it causes the phase and amplitude of the signal to be changed, and an amplitude and phase detection error occurs. Assuming that one calibration reception system is provided and the transmission output of each transmission branch is received and detected, the reception unit is disposed at one place in the integrated circuit. In such a configuration, it is difficult to obtain the same characteristic of the phase amplitude change due to the wiring especially for high frequency signals, since the wiring is routed and connected to the input of the receiving unit provided in one place with the output of each transmission branch It is. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish between the error due to the wiring and the error inherent in the transmission branch, which may make it difficult to perform accurate calibration.

  On the other hand, in the third embodiment, since the wiring to the inter-branch error detection unit between the transmission branches can be made short and equal in length, the error due to the wiring layout of the circuit can be minimized. The error detection signal transmitted between the inter-branch error detectors 110 to 112 and the correction controller 130 is a digital signal indicating a detection level and not a high frequency signal. There is no restriction of isometric wiring.

  As described above, the phased array transmitter according to the third embodiment can form a highly accurate transmit beam by correcting the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmit branches, and the directivity gain in the main beam direction can be obtained. To reduce the radiation level in the unwanted direction. For example, as the target accuracy of the amplitude error and the phase error, assuming that the allowable amount of deterioration of the side lobe suppression level is 3 dB, it is necessary to ensure the accuracy of 1 dB or less for the amplitude error and 5 degrees or less for the phase error. It is possible to sufficiently cope with the application of the configuration of the above. This is effective for control of a communication area in wireless communication, improvement of a link budget, or improvement of detection accuracy by clutter reflection from an unnecessary direction in a radar or suppression of multipath.

  Also, the phased array transmission apparatus of the third embodiment can be implemented with an inter-branch error detection unit that detects an error with a simple circuit. Therefore, low power consumption of the circuit can be realized, and the error can be corrected accurately even for a high frequency transmission signal such as a millimeter wave band, and application to a system using high frequency is possible. It is.

  Further, when applied to a high frequency band, a circuit portion that processes high frequency signals, such as an inter-branch error detection unit and a transmission output detection unit, can be implemented using a circuit having high affinity for integration. Small overall mounting is possible. Furthermore, even when the error detection circuit such as the inter-branch error detection unit is dispersed and causes a correction error, the error detection circuit itself can be corrected. Phase error correction can be realized.

Fourth Embodiment
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a phased array transmission apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. In the fourth embodiment, based on the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a configuration example in which the number of transmission branches is four is shown.

  The phased array transmission apparatus according to the fourth embodiment includes transmission branches 103 and 104 in addition to transmission branches 101 and 102, and inter-branch error detection units 111 and 112 in addition to inter-branch error detection unit 110. Furthermore, the phased array transmission apparatus of the fourth embodiment has an error storage unit 510 connected to the outputs of the inter-branch error detection units 110, 111, and 112 and the correction control unit 130. The other configuration is the same as that of the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment, and components denoted with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 have the same functions, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The inter-branch error detection unit 111 is provided between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103, and is connected to the transmission output detection units 162 and 163. Further, the inter-branch error detection unit 112 is provided between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104, and is connected to the transmission output detection units 163 and 164.

  The inter-branch error detectors 111 and 112 relate to output levels (amplitudes) and phase differences of transmission signals of the transmission branches 102, 103 and 104 based on the signals input from the transmission output detectors 162, 163 and 164, respectively. Detect information. Then, the inter-branch error detection units 111 and 112 generate an error detection signal based on the detected information, and output the error detection signal to the correction control unit 130. The configuration and operation of the inter-branch error detectors 111 and 112 are the same as those of the inter-branch error detector 110 described with reference to FIG.

  The procedure of the error correction regarding the phase error and the amplitude error between each transmission branch in the phased array transmitter according to the fourth embodiment will be described below. The basic operation of the phased array transmission apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the phased array transmission apparatus according to the first embodiment, and here, parts different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the fourth embodiment, the following operation is performed to correct the phase error and the amplitude error between the four transmission branches. First, the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branches 101 and 102 are detected and corrected by the procedure described in the first embodiment, and the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branches 102 and 103 are detected by the same procedure. Detect and correct. Furthermore, by detecting and correcting the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branches 103 and 104 by the same procedure, the mutual phase error and the amplitude error between all the transmission branches 101 to 104 are corrected.

  Here, in the fourth embodiment, in order to realize accurate correction, attention is paid to the phase error and the amplitude error remaining between the branches after the correction. As shown in FIG. 7, when the phase and amplitude adjustment in the phase adjustment units 181 to 184 and the amplitude adjustment units 191 to 194 are performed with digital values, the adjustment is discontinuous in steps in order to handle digital values. Therefore, after correcting the phase error and the amplitude error as described in the first embodiment, the step size S of the phase adjusting unit or the amplitude adjusting unit shown in FIG. The following errors may remain.

  Specifically, this will be described with reference to, for example, FIG. 7 (b). In FIG. 7B, V2 is the amplitude of the transmission branch 102 in the initial state, and V3 is the amplitude of the transmitter detection 103 in the initial state. Here, it is assumed that, for example, the difference between V2 and V3, that is, the amplitude error between the transmission branches 102 and 103 in the initial state, is larger by +2.3 dB than V3. Then, it is assumed that the amplitude adjustment step size of the amplitude adjustment units 191 and 192 is 1.0 dB. Assuming such a case, since the correction unit of the error is every 1.0 dB, the value of the amplitude error is +0.3 dB from the value obtained by adding 2.0 dB, which is twice the step size, to V3. The error of remains. Further, when viewed from a value obtained by adding 3.0 dB, which is three times the step size, to V3, an error of -0.7 dB remains. As described above, an error smaller than the step size in the phase adjustment unit or the amplitude adjustment unit, that is, an error that can not be corrected by the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit is referred to as a residual error.

  Here, if the phase error and the amplitude error are corrected so that the absolute value of the residual error is minimized, the absolute value of the residual error after correction is at most half the step size of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit. The value of (S / 2). At this time, for example, as a result of the correction by the inter-branch error detection units 110, 111, 112, when the positive and negative values of all the residual errors after correction are identical, the phase between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 104 The maximum value of the error and the amplitude error is 3S / 2. This is because the maximum value S / 2 of the residual error between each branch is accumulated in the same sign direction. The effect of the residual error is similarly determined for the N-branch phased array transmitters, and the error between the first and N-th transmission branches after error correction among all the branches is at most (( 1) x S / 2). Therefore, even if the phase error and the amplitude error between the adjacent branches are corrected to a predetermined target value or less, the phase error and the amplitude error of the entire phased array transmission apparatus may exceed the target value.

  In the fourth embodiment, in order to avoid such a situation, that is, to reduce the influence of the residual error after correction on the entire phased array transmission apparatus, the following procedures are performed.

  First, as a fourth procedure, the inter-branch error detection unit 110 detects a phase error and an amplitude error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102. The correction method may be the same as the method described in the first embodiment. Then, the correction control unit 130 calculates the correction value so that the absolute value of the residual error after the correction of the phase error and the amplitude error becomes the minimum value.

  Next, as the fifth procedure, using the correction value calculated in the fourth procedure, the correction control unit 130 uses the phase adjustment units 181 and 182, the amplitude adjustment unit 191, and the like in the first embodiment. Control 192. In this state, the correction control unit 130 detects the phase error and the amplitude error remaining between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 by the inter-branch error detection unit 110, and stores the values in the error storage unit 510.

  The value of the residual error stored in the error storage unit 510 is not an absolute value but a value having a positive or negative sign. The sign of the value of the residual error may be determined, for example, as follows. That is, the error is positive if the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the large transmission branch are greater than the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the small transmission branch, and negative if the opposite. That is, the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is a positive value if the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the transmission branch 102 are larger than the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the transmission branch 101; Should be a negative value.

  On the contrary, the error may be a positive value when the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the smaller transmission branch are larger than the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the larger transmission branch. That is, in the phased array transmission apparatus, positive and negative definitions of error values may be performed according to the same rule in error correction among all branches. Specifically, the error value between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is a positive value when the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the transmission branch 102 are larger than the phase and amplitude of the output signal of the transmission branch 101. I assume. In this case, also in the error value between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103, the phase and the amplitude of the output signal of the transmission branch 103 are similarly positive when the phase and the amplitude of the output signal of the transmission branch 102 are larger. It must be a value. The same definition is used for the error value between subsequent branches.

  Next, as a sixth procedure, the correction control unit 130 causes the inter-branch error detection unit 111 to correct the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. At this time, the correction control unit 130 controls the phase difference between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 and the positive and negative signs of the residual error of the phase and the amplitude between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 stored in the error storage unit 510. The correction value is calculated so that the positive and negative signs of the error and the amplitude error are inverted, and the absolute value of the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is minimized. That is, when the residual error of the phase and amplitude between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is a positive value, the correction control unit 130 determines that the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 are The correction value is calculated so as to minimize the negative value and the absolute value. Then, the correction control unit 130 causes the error storage unit 510 to store the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103.

  The phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 103 at the completion of the sixth procedure are the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102, and the transmission error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. And the residual error of As described above, since the error correction values of the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 are determined so that the positive and negative signs of both are inverted, the values of these errors are offset, and as a result, the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch The increase in phase error and amplitude error during 103 is suppressed.

  Thereafter, as in the sixth procedure, the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is used to correct the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104. According to such a procedure, it is possible to suppress an increase in the value of the error in the entire phased array transmission apparatus by causing the phase error and the amplitude error between the plurality of branches to be either positive or negative.

  Hereinafter, a method of setting the correction value in the fourth embodiment described above will be specifically described by exemplifying numerical values. Although only the amplitude error is illustrated for the sake of simplicity, the phase error may be set similarly. Further, in this example, the step size of the amplitude adjustment unit is 1.0 dB.

  First, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is +0.5 dB, that is, the amplitude error value of the transmission branch 101 is larger than the amplitude error value of the transmission branch 102 by 0.5 dB. .

  Next, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is +0.3 dB or -0.7 dB. As mentioned above, the residual error value between the transmitting branch 101 and the transmitting branch 102 is a positive value. Therefore, the correction control unit 130 sets the correction value of the amplitude error such that the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 becomes a negative value of −0.7 dB.

  Furthermore, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104 is +0.4 dB or -0.6 dB. As mentioned above, the residual error value between the transmitting branch 102 and the transmitting branch 103 is a negative value. Therefore, the correction control unit 130 sets the correction value of the amplitude error such that the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104 becomes +0.4 dB, which is a positive value.

  As described above, the correction control unit 130 determines whether the residual error between the (N-2) -th and the (N-1) -th transmission branches is positive or negative, and between the (N-1) -th transmission branch and the N-th transmission branch. A correction value is calculated such that the positive and negative signs of the residual error are inverted. Here, N is an integer of 3 or more and a value equal to or less than the number of transmission branches. Here, the sum of residual error values of the entire phased array transmission apparatus, that is, the residual error value between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 104 is +0.2 dB. Also, the maximum value (absolute value) of the residual error value between the transmission branches is 0.7 dB, which is the value between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. This value is smaller than, for example, +1.2 dB, which is the total value in the case of all positive values, when the sign of the residual error between the transmission branches 101 to 104 is biased.

  As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the correction control unit 130 is configured to set the positive / negative sign of the residual error between the N−2nd and the N−1th transmission branches, and the N−1th transmission branch. The correction value is calculated so that the sign of the residual error between the and the Nth transmission branch is inverted. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase in the error value in the entire phased array transmission apparatus by causing the phase error and the amplitude error between the plurality of branches to be either positive or negative.

  In the fourth embodiment, the case where there are four transmission branches has been described, but the present disclosure can obtain five transmission branches by repeating the fifth procedure and the sixth procedure among a plurality of branches. It is applicable also to the composition which has more than.

Fifth Embodiment
In the fourth embodiment described above, the error storage unit 510 stores the residual error after performing the previous inter-branch error correction, and is used to calculate the correction value of the current inter-branch error correction. It was. In the fifth embodiment, the error storage unit 510 stores the residual error between all the branches from the branch in which the error correction is first performed to the branch in which the error correction is performed one before. Used to calculate the correction value between branches. Such a configuration can suppress an increase in phase error and amplitude error in the entire phased array transmission apparatus. The configuration of the phased array transmission apparatus of the fifth embodiment is the same as that of the phased array transmission apparatus of the fourth embodiment described above. When the correction control unit 130 calculates the correction value of the amplitude error, the method of setting the positive or negative value of the residual error between the transmission branches is different from that of the fourth embodiment described above. Therefore, in the following, a procedure different from that of the fourth embodiment will be described.

  The correction control unit 130 executes the fourth to sixth procedures described in the fourth embodiment, and performs error correction between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 and between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. Perform the error correction of

  Next, as a seventh procedure, the correction control unit 130 controls the phase adjustment units 182 and 183 and the amplitude adjustment units 192 and 193 using the correction value calculated in the sixth procedure. In this state, the correction control unit 130 uses the inter-branch error detection unit 111 to detect the phase error and the amplitude error remaining between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. Furthermore, the correction control unit 130 is configured to control the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 according to the fifth procedure. The phase error remaining between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is stored in the error storage unit 510. And the amplitude error. Then, the added value is newly stored in the error storage unit 510.

  The correction control unit 130 does not store in the error storage unit 510 a value obtained by adding the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 and the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. , May be as follows. That is, the correction control unit 130 stores the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 and the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 individually in the error storage unit 510. Then, the correction control unit 130 may obtain the sum of these errors in the process of calculating the correction value described later.

  Next, as an eighth procedure, the correction control unit 130 causes the inter-branch error detection unit 112 to correct the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104. At this time, the correction control unit 130 determines whether the value of the sum of the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 and the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 stored in the error storage unit 510 is positive or negative. And the absolute value of the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104 is minimized so that the positive and negative signs of the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104 are inverted. The correction value is calculated so that That is, when the value of the sum of the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 and the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is a positive value, the correction control unit 130 performs transmission. The correction value is calculated so that the value of the error between the branch 103 and the transmission branch 104 is a negative value and the absolute value is minimum. Then, the correction control unit 130 causes the error storage unit 510 to store the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103.

  That is, in the fifth embodiment, the correction control unit 130 calculates the accumulated value (integral value) of the residual error between branches up to the one before the current branch, and the positive / negative sign of the accumulated value, A correction value is calculated so that the positive / negative sign of the value of the residual error between the current branches is inverted. Here, the calculation of the accumulated value of the residual error between the branches up to the previous branch of the current branch uses the value of the residual error between the plurality of branches stored in advance in the error storage unit 510 in the fifth procedure or the like. You should do it.

  Hereinafter, the setting method of the correction value in the above-described fifth embodiment will be specifically described by exemplifying numerical values. In addition, only the amplitude error is illustrated for simplicity.

  First, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is +0.5 dB, that is, the amplitude error value of the transmission branch 101 is larger than the amplitude error value of the transmission branch 102 by 0.5 dB. .

  Next, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is +0.9 dB or −0.1 dB. As mentioned above, the residual error value between the transmitting branch 101 and the transmitting branch 102 is a positive value. Therefore, the correction control unit 130 sets the correction value of the amplitude error so that the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 becomes a negative value of −0.1 dB.

  Here, the correction control unit 130 calculates an accumulated value of residual error values from the transmission branch 101 to the transmission branch 103, and stores the calculated value in the error storage unit 510. That is, when the residual error value between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is +0.5 dB and the residual error value between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is -0.1 dB, the accumulated value +0.4 dB Is obtained.

  Next, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104 is +0.8 dB or −0.2 dB. As described above, the cumulative value of the residual error value from the transmission branch 101 to the transmission branch 103 is a positive value. Therefore, the correction control unit 130 sets the correction value of the amplitude error such that the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104 becomes −0.2 dB which is a negative value.

  As described above, the correction control unit 130 causes the amplitude error so that the positive / negative of the value of the residual error between the current transmission branches is inverted to the positive / negative of the accumulated value of the value of the residual error between the previous transmission branches. Set the correction value of. Here, the sum of residual error values of the entire phased array transmission apparatus, that is, the residual error value between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 104 is +0.2 dB. Also, the maximum value (absolute value) of the residual error value between the transmission branches is 0.5 dB, which is the value between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. These values are smaller than, for example, +2.2 dB, which is the total value when the residual error values between the transmission branches 101 to 104 have a single sign, for example, all positive values.

  As described above, in the fifth embodiment, the correction control unit 130 determines whether the current value of the residual error between the transmission branches is the cumulative value of the residual error values between the preceding transmission branches. The correction value of the amplitude error is set so as to reverse the positive and negative of. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase in the error value in the entire phased array transmission apparatus by causing the phase error and the amplitude error between the plurality of branches to be either positive or negative.

  Although the fifth embodiment has described the case of four transmission branches, the present disclosure can be applied to a configuration having five or more transmission branches. That is, for example, the error correction between the N−1th transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch is the (N−2) th from the residual error after correction between the first transmission branch and the second transmission branch. It should be done using the accumulated value of all the residual errors up to the corrected residual error between the transmission branch and the (N−1) th transmission branch. Here, N is an integer of 3 or more and a value equal to or less than the number (M) of transmission branches.

Sixth Embodiment
In the fifth embodiment described above, the accumulated value of the residual error after the previous inter-branch error correction is used for calculation of the current inter-branch error correction correction value. In the sixth embodiment, the current value is calculated so that the absolute value of the sum of the residual value after the previous inter-branch error correction and the value of the residual error between the current branch is minimized. Calculate the inter-branch error correction value. Such a configuration can suppress an increase in phase error and amplitude error in the entire phased array transmission apparatus. The configuration of the phased array transmission apparatus of the sixth embodiment is the same as that of the phased array transmission apparatus of the fourth and fifth embodiments described above. When the correction control unit 130 calculates the correction value of the amplitude error, the method of setting the positive or negative value of the residual error between the transmission branches is different from the fourth and fifth embodiments described above. Therefore, in the following, procedures different from the fourth and fifth embodiments will be described.

  The correction control unit 130 executes the fourth to sixth procedures described in the fourth embodiment, and performs error correction between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 and between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. Perform the error correction of

  Next, in the seventh procedure described in the fifth embodiment, the correction control unit 130 performs the phase adjustment units 182 and 183 and the amplitude adjustment units 192 and 193 using the correction value calculated in the sixth procedure. Control. In this state, the correction control unit 130 uses the inter-branch error detection unit 111 to detect the phase error and the amplitude error remaining between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. Furthermore, the correction control unit 130 is configured to control the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 according to the fifth procedure. The phase error remaining between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is stored in the error storage unit 510. And the amplitude error. Then, the added value is newly stored in the error storage unit 510.

  Next, in place of the eighth procedure described in the fifth embodiment, the ninth procedure described below is performed. That is, the correction control unit 130 causes the inter-branch error detection unit 112 to correct the phase error and the amplitude error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104. Here, the correction control unit 130 calculates a value of the sum of the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 and the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103, and between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104. Add the value of the error. Hereinafter, the value of the sum of the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 and the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 will be referred to as the accumulated value of the residual error from the transmission branch 101 to the transmission branch 103.

  As the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104, both positive and negative values exist as described above. Therefore, the correction control unit 130 adds the cumulative value of the residual error from the transmission branch 101 to the transmission branch 103 and the positive and negative values of the error value between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104, and the absolute value is small. Set the correction value to be Then, the correction control unit 130 causes the error storage unit 510 to store the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103.

  Hereinafter, the setting method of the correction value in the sixth embodiment described above will be specifically described by exemplifying numerical values. In addition, only the amplitude error is illustrated for simplicity.

  First, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102 is +0.5 dB, that is, the amplitude error value of the transmission branch 101 is larger than the amplitude error value of the transmission branch 102 by 0.5 dB. .

  Next, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is +0.8 dB or −0.2 dB. Here, the correction control unit 130 adds the sum of the value of the residual error between transmission branches of the current transmission branch 103 to the previous one and the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. Calculate The cumulative value of the current value of the inter-transmission residual error up to the previous transmission branch 103 is +0.5 dB, which is the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 102. If this value is added to +0.8 dB or −0.2 dB, which is the value of residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103, it becomes +1.3 dB or +0.3 dB.

  The correction control unit 130 sets the correction value so that the absolute value is smaller among the values calculated as described above. That is, in this example, the sum of the accumulated value of the transmission error between the preceding transmission branches 103 to the previous transmission branch 103 and the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is +0. Set the correction value to be 3 dB. Therefore, the correction control unit 130 sets the correction value such that the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is −0.2 dB.

  Next, it is assumed that the residual error value between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104 is +0.1 dB or −0.9 dB. Here, the correction control unit 130 is the sum of the accumulated value of the value of the residual error between transmission branches up to the current transmission branch 104 and the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 103 and the transmission branch 104. Calculate The accumulated value of the current value of the inter-transmission residual error up to the current transmission branch 104 is +0.3 dB, which is the accumulated value of the residual error from the transmission branch 101 to the transmission branch 103. If this value is added to +0.1 dB or -0.9 dB, which is the value of residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103, +0.4 dB or -0.6 dB is obtained. The correction control unit 130 sets the correction value so that the absolute value is smaller among the values calculated as described above. That is, in this example, the sum of the accumulated value of the transmission error between the preceding transmission branches 103 to the previous transmission branch 103 and the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is +0. Set the correction value to be 4 dB. Therefore, the correction control unit 130 sets the correction value so that the value of the residual error between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103 is +0.1 dB.

  The correction control unit 130 calculates all accumulated values up to the residual error between the (N-2) th transmission branch and the (N-1) th transmission branch as described above, and the accumulated value and the (N-1) th transmission Add the possible values of the residual error between the branch and the Nth transmit branch. Then, correction values of the phase and the amplitude are calculated so that the absolute value of the added value becomes smaller. Here, the sum of residual error values of the entire phased array transmission apparatus, that is, the residual error value between the transmission branch 101 and the transmission branch 104 is +0.2 dB. Also, the maximum value (absolute value) of the residual error value between the transmission branches is 0.5 dB, which is the value between the transmission branch 102 and the transmission branch 103. This value is smaller than, for example, +1.4 dB which is the total value in the case where the signs of the residual error between the transmission branches 101 to 104 are biased, for example, all positive values.

  As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the correction control unit 130 adds the current value of the residual error between the previous transmission branches and the current value of the residual error between the transmission branches. And the correction value is set so that the absolute value of the added value becomes smaller. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase in the error value in the entire phased array transmission apparatus by causing the phase error and the amplitude error between the plurality of branches to be either positive or negative.

  The present disclosure is suitable for a phased array transmission apparatus having a plurality of transmission branches.

11, 12, 13, 14 antennas 101, 102, 103, 104 transmission branches 110, 111, 112 inter-branch error detection unit 120 transmission signal generation unit 130 correction control unit 140 beam angle control unit 150 correction storage unit 161, 162, 163, 164 transmission output detection unit 170 transmission unit control unit 171, 172, 173, 174 transmission unit 180 phase control unit 181, 182, 183, 184 phase adjustment unit 190 amplitude control unit 191, 192, 193, 194 amplitude adjustment unit 210 Signal synthesis unit 220 detection unit 230 AD conversion unit 410 detection unit control unit 510 error storage unit

Claims (3)

M (M is an integer of 3 or more) transmission branches,
A transmitter for transmitting a radio frequency transmission signal;
A phase adjustment unit that adjusts the phase of the transmission signal;
An amplitude adjustment unit that adjusts the amplitude of the transmission signal;
A transmission output detection unit that extracts a part of the transmission signal transmitted by the transmission unit;
Error detection for detecting an error in phase and amplitude between transmission branches based on the output from the transmission output detection unit that extracts the respective outputs of any two adjacent transmission branches among the M transmission branches An inter-branch error detection unit that generates a signal;
An error storage unit for storing an error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit;
Based on the error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit, a correction value for correcting an error in phase and amplitude between the N-1st (N is an integer less than M) transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch is calculated. And the N−1th transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch based on the phase and amplitude correction values between the two adjacent transmission branches prior to the N−2nd transmission branch, stored in the error storage unit. A correction control unit that calculates correction values of phase and amplitude between transmission branches of
A phase control unit for controlling the adjustment of the phase of the transmission signal by the phase adjustment unit based on a correction value for correcting the phase error of the correction control unit and an error detection signal stored in the error storage unit;
An amplitude control unit for controlling the adjustment of the amplitude of the transmission signal by the amplitude adjustment unit based on a correction value for correcting an error in the amplitude of the correction control unit and an error detection signal stored in the error storage unit;
Equipped with
When the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit have predetermined adjustment units, the inter-branch error detection unit calculates a correction value for correcting an error in phase and amplitude between the two adjacent transmission branches. An error less than the adjustment unit of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit, and a second closest value to the error among multiples of the adjustment unit after adjustment of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit; Detect a residual error that is the difference between a value close to
The correction control unit is configured to calculate a phase of an N−1th transmission branch and an Nth transmission branch based on the value of the residual error between the N−1th smaller transmission branch stored in the error storage unit. And when calculating the correction value of the amplitude, the positive / negative sign of the value of the residual error between the (N-2) th and the (N-1) th transmission branches stored in the error storage unit, and the (N-1) th transmission branch Calculate the phase and amplitude correction values so that the positive and negative signs of the residual error value between N and the Nth transmission branch are inverted,
Phased array transmitter. M (M is an integer of 3 or more) transmission branches,
A transmitter for transmitting a radio frequency transmission signal;
A phase adjustment unit that adjusts the phase of the transmission signal;
An amplitude adjustment unit that adjusts the amplitude of the transmission signal;
A transmission output detection unit that extracts a part of the transmission signal transmitted by the transmission unit;
Error detection for detecting an error in phase and amplitude between transmission branches based on the output from the transmission output detection unit that extracts the respective outputs of any two adjacent transmission branches among the M transmission branches An inter-branch error detection unit that generates a signal;
An error storage unit for storing an error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit;
Based on the error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit, a correction value for correcting an error in phase and amplitude between the N-1st (N is an integer less than M) transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch is calculated. And the N−1th transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch based on the phase and amplitude correction values between the two adjacent transmission branches prior to the N−2nd transmission branch, stored in the error storage unit. A correction control unit that calculates correction values of phase and amplitude between transmission branches of
A phase control unit for controlling the adjustment of the phase of the transmission signal by the phase adjustment unit based on a correction value for correcting the phase error of the correction control unit and an error detection signal stored in the error storage unit;
An amplitude control unit for controlling the adjustment of the amplitude of the transmission signal by the amplitude adjustment unit based on a correction value for correcting an error in the amplitude of the correction control unit and an error detection signal stored in the error storage unit;
Equipped with
When the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit have predetermined adjustment units, the inter-branch error detection unit calculates a correction value for correcting an error in phase and amplitude between the two adjacent transmission branches. An error less than the adjustment unit of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit, and a second closest value to the error among multiples of the adjustment unit after adjustment of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit; Detect a residual error that is the difference between a value close to
The correction control unit is configured to calculate a phase of an N−1th transmission branch and an Nth transmission branch based on the value of the residual error between the N−1th smaller transmission branch stored in the error storage unit. And when calculating the correction value of the amplitude, from the residual error between the first transmission branch and the second transmission branch, to the residual error between the N-2nd transmission branch and the N-1th transmission branch The accumulated value is calculated, and the phase and amplitude of the accumulated value are inverted so that the positive and negative signs of the accumulated value and the sign of the residual error between the N-1st transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch are inverted. Calculate correction value,
Phased array transmitter. M (M is an integer of 3 or more) transmission branches,
A transmitter for transmitting a radio frequency transmission signal;
A phase adjustment unit that adjusts the phase of the transmission signal;
An amplitude adjustment unit that adjusts the amplitude of the transmission signal;
A transmission output detection unit that extracts a part of the transmission signal transmitted by the transmission unit;
Error detection for detecting an error in phase and amplitude between transmission branches based on the output from the transmission output detection unit that extracts the respective outputs of any two adjacent transmission branches among the M transmission branches An inter-branch error detection unit that generates a signal;
An error storage unit for storing an error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit;
Based on the error detection signal from the inter-branch error detection unit, a correction value for correcting an error in phase and amplitude between the N-1st (N is an integer less than M) transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch is calculated. And the N−1th transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch based on the phase and amplitude correction values between the two adjacent transmission branches prior to the N−2nd transmission branch, stored in the error storage unit. A correction control unit that calculates correction values of phase and amplitude between transmission branches of
A phase control unit for controlling the adjustment of the phase of the transmission signal by the phase adjustment unit based on a correction value for correcting the phase error of the correction control unit and an error detection signal stored in the error storage unit;
An amplitude control unit for controlling the adjustment of the amplitude of the transmission signal by the amplitude adjustment unit based on a correction value for correcting an error in the amplitude of the correction control unit and an error detection signal stored in the error storage unit;
Equipped with
When the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit have predetermined adjustment units, the inter-branch error detection unit calculates a correction value for correcting an error in phase and amplitude between the two adjacent transmission branches. An error less than the adjustment unit of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit, and a second closest value to the error among multiples of the adjustment unit after adjustment of the phase adjustment unit and the amplitude adjustment unit; Detect a residual error that is the difference between a value close to
The correction control unit is configured to calculate a phase of an N−1th transmission branch and an Nth transmission branch based on the value of the residual error between the N−1th smaller transmission branch stored in the error storage unit. And when calculating the correction value of the amplitude, from the residual error between the first transmission branch and the second transmission branch, to the residual error between the N-2nd transmission branch and the N-1th transmission branch Calculate the accumulated value, add the accumulated value and the possible value of the residual error between the N-1st transmission branch and the Nth transmission branch, and the absolute value of the added value becomes smaller. , Calculate phase and amplitude correction values,
Phased array transmitter.

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